In a significant move, the previous commander of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd), cautioned against attempts by politicians to drive a political wedge between officers and jawans over the “one rank, one pension” problem. “In the past week or so, I’ve grown more concerned about how this is being spun to drive a rift between cops and guys. According to Bhadauria (ret. ), “that officers are gaining more (in the OROP) is taking on a political tint.
He was speaking before the Air Force Association, a group of veterans that he leads. Bhadauria urged the crowd, which was primarily made up of Indian Air Force veterans, to refrain from politics and protests about matters pertaining to the armed services.
His remarks come shortly after a video of Congressman Rahul Gandhi that became widely popular in defense circles in which it was stated that while officers make up the majority of the fighting forces, they receive greater financial perks from the OROP system than jawans.
“We need to steer clear of this. There is nothing like this, and these arguments have no substance. Every single anomaly and case that has been investigated is something I am aware of.I must make it abundantly apparent that in these political times, we must avoid engaging in actual politics. Everything that is right and reasonable and needs to be addressed must be addressed in the proper manner. According to him, that is the only way to get a result and the problem will be resolved.
In his remarks to the veterans, he mentioned several irregularities that have arisen in the schemes, noting “one is from the Pay Commission and all its anomalies and the other is some One Rank One Pension (OROP)-related abnormalities that have all been taken up by the Service with the Ministry. It is still in the process even though it is taking longer to be resolved.
Veterans were awarded the OROP system, which means that everyone retiring from the same rank will receive the same pension regardless of when they left the armed forces.
