Govt working on plan to induct retired jawans into police forces
The NDA government is working on a plan to generate employment for retired defence personnel below officer rank who hang up their boots in their 30s and still have a valuable contribution to make in other fields.
A day before veterans plan to hold a maha rally at Jantar Mantar on Saturday against what they call partial implementation of their one rank, one pension (OROP) demand, South Block sources said the government has started examining issues related to induction of jawans into police forces.
Sources said the veterans should not allow “petty political elements” to colour their vision and the rally could be an “impediment” to the finalisation of the declaration on OROP made by defence minister Manohar Parrikar on September 5.
Parrikar had said that the decision to implement the scheme reflected the government’s commitment to the welfare of veterans despite the fiscal burden — an annual payout in the range of ` 8,000 crore to ` 10,000 crore.
The ex-servicemen, however, are not happy as they argue that their demand has been accepted in a diluted form. Their main concerns centre on extending the benefits to premature retirees, annual revision of pensions as against the review every five years as granted by the government, and the mode of re-calculation of pensions.