Sitharaman attacks Opposition over OROP, claims Modi govt transfered Rs 35000 crore in 3 years

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attacked the Opposition over the One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue on Monday, saying that the previous government had approved a proposal of just Rs 500 crore for it while Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has already transferred Rs 35,000 crore to the account of former armed forces personnel in the last three years.

"Previous government approved OROP with only Rs 500 crore. Our government in 2016 made an announcement on OROP and Rs 35,000 crore already transferred to the account of former army servicemen in three years. In the coming years, Rs 8000 crore must be added per year," Sitharaman said while addressing at an event here.

 

Speaking on the OROP, Union Minister Piyush Goyal who presented the interim budget on behalf of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 1, said Rs 35,000 crore have already been dispersed under this scheme by the present government.

In an apparent reference to the Opposition, Sitharaman also asserted that the National War Memorial was pending for last 60 years but the incumbent NDA-led BJP government dedicated a war memorial to all those bravehearts who lost their lives for the nation.

"For the last 60 years a National War Memorial was pending, we have had four major wars so far, there was not a single war memorial at national level dedicated to the martyrs of all those wars. A war memorial was dedicated to the forces this February," Sitharaman said at an event here.

She further asked people to stay away from rumour mongers. "I request you to please don't believe in people who spread rumours, please be aware. We need to reject those who use simplicity and sincerity of soldiers to mislead (others)."

After 72 years of Independence, India got its first National War Memorial, a state-of-art monument spread over an area of approximately 40 acres. It is a tribute to Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the country post-independence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the memorial on February 25 by lighting the eternal flame positioned at the bottom of the 15.5-metre tall obelisk.

The memorial is dedicated to soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation during Sino-India war in 1962, Indo-Pakistan wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999.