Ex-servicemen's pension to be hiked

The new, revised pension would be implemented beginning this month, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha while presenting the Budget for 2009-10.

In essence, the government has accepted the recommendation of the high-level committee headed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar that was set up in April to look into the defence pensioners' demands.

"Based on the recommendation of the committee headed by Cabinet Secretary on 'One Rank-One Pension' (OROP), the government has decided to substantially improve the pension of pre-January one, 2006 defence pensioners below officer rank and bring pre-October 10, 1997 pensioners on par with post- October 10, 1997 pensioners," Mukherjee said.

The pre-January one, 2006 pensioners were affected following the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations last October, while the pre- and post-October 10, 1997 pensioners were impacted by the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations.

The Finance Minister also noted that the decision to increase the pensions for defence personnel would cost the exchequer over Rs 2,100 crore (Rs 21 billion) annually.