According to sources connected to the CPC, a major demand is the restoration of basic pension to 70%. They have also asked for the One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) equalisation period to be reduced from four years to two years.

The memorandum was presented to the pay panel’s Chairperson Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, a retired Supreme Court judge, on 10 August. 

The delegation was led by representatives of the Federation of Veterans Association (FVA) and the Purva Sainik Adhikar Rakshak Mahasangh. “Raj Narayan Singh, a retired District and Sessions Judge, represented the veterans’ cause before the pay panel. Advocates Pawan Kumar and G.K. Pathak were part of the legal team that helped prepare the charter of demands and gave a presentation before the pay panel,” a senior official connected to the CPC said.

The submission comes as part of the CPC’s efforts to gather representations from different stakeholders before preparing its recommendations to the government.

A member of the armed forces’ veteran group said, “The objective of our presentation before the pay panel was to place our concerns formally on record through the appropriate constitutional process.”

OROP Overhaul

“At the heart of the memorandum are demands relating to OROP, the basic pension rate, and career progression for military personnel. We have sought the resolution of all outstanding anomalies in the existing OROP system and its extension to personnel who opted for premature retirement,” he said.

He said the memorandum demands the OROP equalisation period to be made two years, and for reservists to receive their full entitlement under the scheme. In defence parlance, a reservist is “a trained member of the country’s military reserve force. They work regular civilian jobs, but they train part-time and stay ready to join active duty during a war or national emergency”.

The official said, “Veterans contend that military personnel were entitled to a 70% basic pension benchmark before the 3rd Pay Commission and that the level was subsequently reduced through successive Pay Commission revisions.” 

The armed forces veterans also argue that restoring the earlier benchmark would provide a substantial improvement in retirement income for ex-servicemen and therefore regard it as one of the principal demands in their memorandum, they said.

Equal Honorary Rank Benefits

The delegation has also sought changes to career progression. It has proposed that Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) benefits be granted every six years rather than under the existing cycle. It has demanded equal honorary-rank benefits for all eligible personnel and an additional increment for those retiring with an “Exemplary” character rating.

Service-related allowances and benefits have also featured prominently in the charter of the demands, as veterans have proposed replacing the existing Non-Productivity Linked Bonus with a significantly higher Operational Readiness Bonus.

According to the delegation, the present bonus does not adequately reflect the demands placed on military personnel or the conditions under which they serve. The proposed replacement is intended to provide compensation more closely linked to operational readiness and service responsibilities.

The memorandum has also sought additional leave for personnel deployed in counter-insurgency operations. On the medical front, veterans have called for revised room-entitlement provisions under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), with entitlements linked to contribution levels.

Benefits For Armed Forces And Beyond

The officials said that several proposals in the memorandum extended beyond the armed forces and sought benefits for the wider community of central government employees and pensioners also. These include a 10% Interim Relief to provide immediate financial assistance pending implementation of the 8th CPC’s recommendations, along with the merger of 50% Dearness Allowance (DA) with basic pay.

The delegation has also sought a higher fitment factor for determining revised salaries and pensions and the restoration of pension commutation benefits. Another key proposal is to reduce the age at which additional pension becomes payable from 80 years to 65 years. Higher Fixed Medical Allowance, improved family pension and increased Risk and Hardship Allowance have also been included among the common demands.

“The submission now forms part of the representations before the 8th CPC, which is expected to examine demands from various employee, pensioner and veterans’ organisations before finalising its recommendations,” a member of Federation of Veterans Association (FVA) said.