National
Studying OROP report, says Defence Ministry
New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) The Defence Ministry on Monday said the report of a one member committee on the One Rank One Pension is under examination, on a day when veterans protesting the OROP being implemented were forcefully evicted from their protest site.
Defence Ministry sources said the report, by the one man committee of Justice L Narasimha Reddy, the retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court, is being studied, and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also met him over the report.
“The report is under examination, we are looking into it,” the source said.
A group of veterans had started the protest for One Rank One Pension at Jantar Mantar on June 15, 2015, and also staged indefinite hunger strike before government announced on September 5, 2015 that it was implementing OROP.
Some soldiers however continued the protest stating that the OROP implemented by government was flawed and would not justify the goal of having same pension for those retiring from the same rank.
Maj Gen Satbir Singh (retd), advisor to the United Front of Ex Servicemen and Chairman, Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, who is part of the continuing agitation, questioned what is the government studying in the report, submitted to the Defence Ministry on October 26, 2016.
“What is the government studying in the report after one year? They are making fools out of us,” he said as he and other soldiers protesting at Jantar Mantar were forcefully evicted on Monday by police and civic authorities following an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 5 banning protests at the spot.
The Central Government had appointed the committee under the Justice Reddy to look into the anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP.
The committee was formed to suggest measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise in the implementation of the OROP, measures for the removal of anomalies that may arise out of inter-services issues of the three armed forces due to implementation of OROP, implications on service matters and any other matter referred by the central government on implementation of the OROP or related issues.
The major sticking point for the protesting group of veterans is time period for revision of pensions. While government’s OROP has revision every five years, veterans have demanded annual rationalisation of pensions.
The second major demand is fixing pensions at top of the scale against the current fixation of mean average.
The present OROP scheme has a mechanism of fixing pensions by calculating average of highest and lowest pensions for a rank, with protection to those with higher pension.
Third demand is to make the date of implementation April 1, 2014, and not July 1, 2014 as it is presently.
The government has said it has taken July 1 as the date of implementation as it came in power in May 2014.
The fourth demand is fixing the base year of implementation at financial year 2013-14, and not on the basis of calendar year as it is at present.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.