OROP acceptable to large number of defence associations: FM Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said government's OROP ( One Rank One Pension) formula for retired defence personnel has been accepted by most associations and only a small section had some issues on it.

"The government has already announced its decision. Most personnel in their (defence) organisations have accepted that. If one faction or the other have reservations, I think it's for all of you to sit together and decide ...within the organisation itself.

"The mainstream organisations personally met me and thanked the government that their long-standing demand has been accepted," he said.

The Minister was responding to a question on the implementation of OROP at a programme.

As approved by the government in September, the OROP will be implemented from July 2014 and arrears alone would cost the exchequer about Rs 10,000-12,000 crore.

Replying questions on the government's recent policy initiatives with regard to Pakistan, Jaitley said there were no fundamental changes and effort has been to resolve differences through talks.

India's foreign policy approach, the Minister said, "has always been of resolving disputes by way of talks but the environment, in which you want to talk, the responsibility (of it) lies with Pakistan as well.

"So it depends on the environment and conditions. And when the conditions improve, it improves the conditions to talk as well. And government's policy on the matter, being ongoing for so many years, is appropriate. We should hope that the conditions will remain good and the talks will keep going."

Following the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif at Paris, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad for talks. The official level talks are likely to continue.