One Rank One Pension to the Defence Forces Pensioners

Detailed Instructions for One Rank One Pension Scheme for Defence Forces Pensioners

No. 1(1)/2019/D(Pen/Pol)/Vol-II
Government of India
Ministry of Defence
Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

New Delhi, Dated: 20th January 2023

To
The Chief of the Defence Staff
The Chief of the Army Staff
The Chief of the Naval Staff
The Chief of the Air Staff

Subject: One Rank One Pension to the Defence Forces Pensioners.

The undersigned is directed to refer to this Ministry’s letter No. 1(1)/2019/D(Pen/Pol) dated 04.01.2023 notifying revision of pension under One Rank One Pension Scheme (OROP) with effect from 01.07.2019 to all Pre 01.07.2019 Defence Forces Pensioners/Family Pensioners. Para 3 of the letter provides that detailed instructions relating to implementation of OROP along with tables indicating revised pension for each rank and each category shall be issued separately.

2. The undersigned is now directed to say that in order to quicken the process of revision of pension/family pension, total 121 tables indicating rates of pension/family pension under OROP scheme are appended to this order. The appended tables indicate revised rates of Retiring/Service/Special/Disability /Invalid/Liberalized Disability/War Injury Pension including Disability/War Injury Element and Ordinary/Special /Liberalized Family Pension of Commissioned Officers, Honorary Commissioned Officers, JCOs/ORs and Non-Combatants (Enrolled) of Army, Navy, Air Force, Defence Speciality Corps & Territorial Army Retired / Discharged / Invalided. Out from Service/died in service or after retirement. The existing pension of all Pre- 01 .07.2019 (except pensioners entered on or after 01 .07.2014 pre-matrix retirement/own request as provided in para 4 of MoD letter No. 1 2(1)/2014/D(Pen/Pol)Part.II dated 07.11.2015 as amended vide Ministry of Defence, Department of Ex-Servicemen letter No. 12(1)/2014/D(Pen/Pol)Pan-II dated 06.06.2017) pensioners/family pensioners shall be enhanced with reference to applicable table for the rank (and group in case of JCOs/ORs) in which pensioned with reference to the actual qualifying service as shown in Column-1 of the tables subject to maximum term of engagement front time to time. The rate of pension of pensioners/family pensioners drawing more than the revised rate of pension/family pension indicated in annexed tables, shall remain unchanged.

APPLICABILITY

3. The provisions of this letter shall be applicable to all pensioners/family pensioners who had been retired/ discharged/invalided out from service/died in service or after retirement in the rank of Commissioned Officers, Honorary Commissioned Officers, JCOs/ORs and Non- Combatants (Enrolled) of Army, Navy, Air Force, Defence Security Corps, Teritorial Army & Ex-State Forces and are in receipt of pension/family pension as on 01.07.2019 (except pensioners retired after previous OROP revision on pre mature retirement/own request).

3.1 The provisions of this letter, however, do not apply to UK/HKSRA/KCIO pensioners, Pakistan & Burma Army pensioners, Reservist pensioners and pensioners in receipt of Ex-gratia payments and pensioners retired after previous OROP revision on pre-mature retirement/own request (as provided in para 4 of MoD letter dated 07.11.2015).

METHODOLOGY FOR IMPLEMENTATION

4. It is provided in para-2.6 of MoD letter dated 04.01.2023 that the pensioners retired on or after 01.07.2014 on premature retirement/own request are not eligible for benefits of OROP. The information regarding premature retirement/own request is not available in the Pension Payment Order (PPO). Hence, table-based revision by PDA in such cases is not feasible.

4.1 Therefore, it is decided that the pension of all pensioners retired/discharged on or after 01.07.2014 and before 01.0.7.2019) will be 7fy/6f/fC/f/6 High corrigendum PPO. Since most of the data of pensioners/family pensioners have been migrated in SPARSH application, therefore, revision of pension of migrated pensioners/family pensioners wil1 be done through SPARSH application only. The corrigendum PPO in the case of remaining pensioners retired/discharged on or after 01.07.2014 and before 01.07.2019 will be issued by Pension Sanctioning Authorities in affected cases, so-moto (where rates of pension under these orders are beneficial than the rates of their pension as on 01.07.2019).

4.2 In all other cases i.e pensioners retired/discharged rip to 10.06.2014, invalided out prior to 01.07.2019 and family pensioners, this revision will be implemented based on the pension tables as appended with this order. All Pension Disbursing Agencies (PDAs) hand high disbursement of pension to Defence pensioners are hereby authorized to carry out revision of Retiring/Service/Special/Disability/invalid/Liberalized Disability/War Injury Pension including Disability/War Injury Element and Ordinary/Special/Liberalized Family Pension of all, such pre-01.07.2019 pensioners/family pensioners drawing pension as on 01.07.2019 in terms of this order with applicable rates of dearness relief without calling for any applications from the pensioners and without any further authorization from the Pension Sanctioning Authorities concerned.

4.3 The revised rates of pension under this letter are average of in minimum & maximum rate of pension for a rank and a qualifying service of live data of 2018 retirees. Wherever, the rates of higher qualifying service of a rank are lower than rates of lower qualifying service in sane rank or data is/are blank for higher qualifying service then the same have been protected by higher rate of lower qualifying service, due to this, many rates in same column appears equal. Similarly, wherever the revised rate of pension under this order are lower in higher rank than rate in lower rank in same qualifying service then the same have been protected with higher rates of pension in lower rank in same qualifying service resulting similar rate in some qualifying service in two adjacent columns.

5. Where the revised pension as on 01.07.2019 worked out in terms of this letter, happens to be less than the existing pension/family pension as on 01.07.2019, the pension shall not be revised to the disadvantage of the pensioner/family pensioner.
6. Arrears on account of revision of pension front 01.07.2019 till date of its implementation shall be paid by the Pension Disbursing Agencies in four half yearly installments. However, all the family pensioners including those in receipt of Special/Liberalized family pension and all Gallantry award winners shall be paid arrears in one installment.
7. The initial Pension Payment Order (PPO) or its Corrigendum PPO (Corr PPO) indicates rank, group and qualifying service for which the individual has been pensioned. This information is available with Pension Disbursing Agencies as they have revised pension of all such pensioners in the recent past in terms of Government orders issued for implementation of recommendations of 7th CPC. Hence, however, any information regarding qualifying service, rank, group etc., is not available with Pension Disbursing Agencies, such cases may be referred to Pension Sanctioning Authority concerned on the Piofollra enclosed as Annexure A. The Pension Sanctioning Authorities concerned will provide the requisite information from the available records within 15 days of the receipt of request from the Pension Disbursing Agencies.
8. In case of any doubt relating to revision of pension in terms of this letter, Pension Disbursing Agencies way immediately take tip the matter with Nodal Officers of respective PSAs, details of which shall be notified by Pr. CDA (P), Prayagraj in their implementation instructions.
9. The revised rates of pension under this letter shall be basic pension from 01.07.2019 and therefore, additional pension as applicable to the old age pensioners/family pensioners on attaining the relevant age (80 years and above) shall also be enhanced by the PDAs from 01.07.2019 or the date from which the pensioner attains the age of 80 years or more, whichever is later.

PAYMENT OF LIFE TIME ARREARS (LTA)

10. If a pensioner to whom the benefit accrues under the provisions of this letter has died/dies before receiving the payment of arrears, the Life Time Arrears of pension (LTA) shall be paid in the following manner .-

a) If the claimant is already in receipt of Family Pension or happens to be the pensioner in whose favour Family Pension already stands notified and the awardees has hot become ineligible for any reason, the LTA under the provisions of this letter should be paid to such a claimant by the PDA on their own.

b) If the claimant has already received LTA in the past in respect of the deceased to whom the benefit would have accrued, the LTA under the provisions of this letter should also be paid to such a claimant by the PDA on their own.

c) If the claimant is a person other than the one mentioned at 10(a) & 10(b) above, payment of LTA shall be made to the legal his /hers as per extant Government orders.

11. The following elements shall continue to be paid as separate elements in addition to the pension revised under this order .-

i) Monetary allowance attached to gallantry awards viz. Param Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra etc.
ii) Constant Attendance Allowance, where admissible.
iii) Dearness relief as sanctioned by the Government from time to time.

MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUCTIONS

12. No arrears on account of revision of pension/family pension shall be admissible for the period prior to 01.07.2019.
13. No commutation of pension Small be admissible on revised/additional amount of pension accruing as a result of revision of pension under this letter. However, the existing amount of pension, if any, that has been commuted will continue to be deducted from the revised pension.
14. As a result of this letter, there will be no change in the amount of gratuity already determined and paid with reference to the rules in force at the time of retire/discharge/invalidment/death.
15. Any overpayment of pension coming to the notice or under process of recovery shall be adjusted in full by the Pension Disbursing Agencies against arrears becoming due on revision of pension on the basis of this order.

METHODOLOGY FOR REPORTING

16. An intimation regarding disbursement of revised pension shall be furnished by the Pension Disbursing Agencies to the office of the Pr. CDA(P), Prayagraj in the format prescribed as Annexure-B to this letter in the following month in which revision takes place. PDAs shall also ensure that an intimation regarding revision of pension is invariably conveyed to the pensioners concerned for their information ii respective of the fact that the same is beneficial to them or not. The Public Sector Banks disbursing defence pensions through Central Pension Processing Centers (CPPC), the progress report shall be furnished by the CPPC of the bank directly to the office of Pr. CDA (Pensions) Prayagraj through electronic sections.
17. All other terms and conditions which are not affected by this order shall remain unchanged.
18. This issues with concurrence of Finance Division of this Ministry vide their ID No10(01)/2019/Fin/Pen dated 16.01.2023
19. Hindi version will follow.

(B L Meena)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India

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