Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that his government is committed to implement the "One Rank, One Pension" (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen, but sought time to resolve its complexities.
Attacking the previous governments for playing politics over the issue for last 40 years, the prime minister said OROP was "a complex issue, a vexed issue". "You have been patient for 40 years, give me some time to address it," Modi said in his 'Mann ki Baat' radio address to the nation.
Modi said various departments were working to resolve the complexities as "it is not a simple matter" and added that a "running commentary" on the media on the details of the progress would not help.
Lauding the services of defence personnel, the PM said he could understand their problems as he was talking to them "as an individual rather than as a prime minister".
"We are committed to One Rank, One Pension... Is it not a fact that the matter has been pending for 40 years... No government in the past could implement it... Please have faith in us," Modi said.
The matter has been a long-standing demand of over two million ex-servicemen of India. It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension for the defence personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.
Talking on the completion of one year of the BJP-led NDA government, Modi said, "It is important to know what have been the drawbacks."
He said there were many who have also praised his government's achievements in the last one year as he talked about the launch of three social security schemes -- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana -- for the poor recently. More than 8.5 crore people joined the schemes within 20 days of their launch, he added.
