New Delhi: India’s defence accounts department (DAD) is working to disburse arrears running into thousands of crores to around 2.5 million defence pensioners by March 15 in line with a Supreme Court order on clearing outstanding payments to the ex-servicemen under the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme, officials said on Tuesday.
The top court on Monday rebuked the Union government for delaying payments under the scheme, and following its observations, the defence ministry instructed the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) to release OROP arrears in a single instalment. DAD is headed by the CGDA.
“We have received the necessary instructions from the defence ministry, and work is in full swing to disburse the arrears by March 15, the deadline fixed by the Supreme Court. There’s no question of not meeting the deadline,” said a CGDA official, asking not to be named.
