OROP calculations done, to be implemented
Chandigarh,
Union Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh today said the Narendra Modi-led NDA government was committed to implementing the one rank, one pension (OROP) policy and the Defence Ministry had recently forwarded the cost it would entail to the treasury.
Addressing a press conference here today, the minister said, “It is likely to cost us somewhere between Rs 7,000 crore and Rs 10,000 crore. The Congress-led UPA government made a mere announcement. However, we have gone into the details and calculated the entire cost. We had initially thought of announcing it before the budget session. However, the Finance Ministry was busy with the making of the budget. We have decided the matter and it will be announced shortly,” he said.
Reacting to J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s statement that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) would be withdrawn from the state in a phased manner, Singh stated that the “army had reservations about it”.
“There is going to be no unilateral decision. Gradual withdrawal is everybody’s hope,” he remarked.
Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/