The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the next revision of the pension of defence forces personnel and family pensioner under One Rank One Pension (OROP).
Briefing reporters after a meeting of the union cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the decision will lead to enhanced pension as per the OROP proposal. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The benefit would also be extended to family pensioners including war widows and disabled pensioners, Thakur said.
He said benefits will be extended to about 25.13 lakh armed forces pensioners and family pensioners.
Armed forces personnel retired up to June 30, 2019, are to be covered under this revision. The revision will entail an estimated annual expenditure of Rs 8450 crore. The arrears will be with effect from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022.
The move is expected to attract youth to join the armed forces.
The decision to implement OROP was taken by the Narendra Modi government on November 7, 2015, with benefits effective from July 1, 2014.
OROP was a long-standing demand of the armed forces and implies that retired soldiers of the same rank, who have retired after serving for the same length of service, will receive the same pension, irrespective of the date and year of their retirement.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)