india

Updated: Oct 31, 2015 23:36 IST

Ex-paramilitary personnel have decided to sit on a dharna at Jantar Mantar from Monday to press their long-standing demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP).

Before them, ex-servicemen also protested at the same venue to seek OROP for themselves. The government on September 5 had announced implementation of OROP for ex-servicemen. But their protest, though now a bit low-key, is still on as the government is yet to issue a notification for OROP for ex-servicemen.

PS Nair, national general secretary of the All India Central Paramilitary Forces Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association, told HT that from November 2 onwards, they will begin the dharna to press for their demands, including OROP for retired paramilitary personnel.

“The initial dharna is for at least three days. We hope that the government will listen to us. If not, then we may go for a hunger strike in March next year,” Nair said.

The major demands of the ex-paramilitary personnel include OROP, framing of separate service and pension rules, exemption from new contributory pension system for paramilitary, giving them ex-servicemen status with all consequential benefits, extending CSD canteen facility, extending ex-servicemen contributory health scheme, changing nomenclature from central armed police forces to central paramilitary forces, and granting them statutory paramilitary welfare board.

There are around 11 paramilitary forces in the country and the number of ex-paramilitary personnel could be around eight to nine lakh.

The ex-paramilitary personnel failed to put up a unified fight for OROP. The national coordination committee of ex-paramilitary personnel welfare associations declined to support the dharna, questioning its timing as the issue of OROP for ex-servicemen is yet to be sorted out. But Nair has left the committee to pursue his plan. He claims that most of the state associations of ex-paramilitary personnel are with him.