One Rank One Pension Scheme: Eligibility, Benefits, Revised Amount & How is it Calculated?

The One Rank One Pension scheme is a government scheme that provides pensions to military personnel based on their rank and service years. One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme aims to provide a uniform pension for people retiring in the same rank, irrespective of their retirement date. Read on to find out all about the OROP scheme.

What is OROP Pension Scheme?

The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme provides uniform pensions to armed forces retiring with the same years of service and rank, irrespective of their retirement date. Under this scheme, those who retire earlier will receive the same pension as those retiring later in the same rank, bringing about fairness in the pension distribution system. The OROP addressed the long-standing grievances of unequal pension benefits among military personnel, thus promoting fairness in pension payment within the armed forces.

OROP Scheme date

The government implemented the OROP scheme in 2014. The benefits of OROP were effective from 1 July 2014.

What is the rule of OROP?

The primary rule of the OROP scheme is to provide uniform pensions to armed forces personnel with the same rank and service period, irrespective of their retirement date. 

Who is eligible for OROP?

• Commissioned officers
• Honorary commissioned officers
• Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) or Other Ranks (ORs) 
• Non-combatants (enrolled) of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Territorial Army, Defence Security Corps and Ex-State Forces

Who is not eligible for OROP?

• UK, HKSRA or KCIO pensioners
• Pakistan and Burma army pensioners
• Reservist pensioners 
• Pensioners in receipt of ex-gratia payments 
• Premature retirement or own request pensioners

What are the benefits of OROP?

The key benefits of OROP are as follows:

• Under the OROP, arrears will be paid to armed forces personnel in four equal half-yearly installments. But arrears will be paid in one installment for all family pensioners, including those receiving special, liberalised family pensions and Gallantry award winners.
• The pensions are re-fixed every five years as per ranks for all defence or family pensioners.
• It establishes fairness and equality in the pension payment system for retired armed forces personnel.
• It ensures that retired armed forces personnel get equal pensions for the same rank and service period.
• It removes disparities in pension payments due to different retirement dates of armed forces personnel.
• To honour armed forces personnel contributions and sacrifices, the OROP provides them with adequate financial support in their retired life.
• It provides financial security to retired military personnel, enabling them to meet their post-retirement expenses and needs.

How is OROP Pension calculated?

The OROP pension is calculated based on length of service and rank. The pension amount is revised every 5 years for all pensioners. Arrears will be paid in four equal half-yearly installments. 

For example, Officer ‘A’ was in service for 15 years, from 1990 to 2005. Officer ‘B’ was in the same rank as Officer ‘A’ and was in service for 15 years from 2005 to 2020. Under the OROP, both officers will get the same pension amount after retirement since they are of the same rank and served the same length of service.

OROP Scheme revision India

The government revised the OROP for the first time in 2019, effective on 1 July 2019. The recent OROP scheme revision was in 2014, effective 1 July 2024. The pension amount revision is based on the average minimum and maximum pension for a rank, group and qualifying service of data of 2023 retirees. 

The Ministry of Defence revised the pensions from 1 July 2024 for all defence and family pensioners according to their ranks, including those who have been retired, discharged, or invalided from service or died in service or after retirement (except pensioners who retired on or after 1 July 2014 on premature retirement or at their own request).

Pension amount under OROP

The revised pension and family pensions under OROP will be applicable from 1 July 2024. The following table provides the retiring pension rates for regular commissioned officers and women officers of the army and equivalent ranks in the Air Force and Navy as per the OROP revision (other than officers of ADC, AMC, RVC, SSC, TA, EC and MNS):

• Rates for Lieutenant (LT), Captains, Major, and Lieutenant Colonel (LT COL) are as follows:

• Rates for Brigadier (BRIG), Major General (MAJ GEN) and Lieutenant General (LT GEN) are as follows:

For retiring pension rates of commissioned officers of AMC/ADC/RVC, commissioned officers of territorial army, commissioned officers of military nursing services, ordinary family pension, special family pension, special dependent family pension, liberalised family pension, etc., you can refer to the appendix of the revised pension scheme notification.

The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme was implemented to provide uniform pensions to army personnel of the same rank with the same service years. It ensures fairness and equality in the pension amounts of retired army personnel by providing the same pension for a rank, irrespective of the retirement date.

Related Articles:
What is One Nation One Election, How Does it Work