OROP to cost Rs.7,500 crore a year, arrears Rs.10,900 crore

New Delhi, Feb 4: The annual expenditure for the 'One Rank One Pension' (OROP) scheme has been estimated to be around Rs.7,500 crore, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The arrears from July 1, 2014 -- the date of implementation as announced by the government -- till December 31, 2015, will be approximately Rs.10,900 crore, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement said 86 percent of the total expenditure on account of OROP will benefit Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and other ranks.

"The government of India had taken the historic decision to implement OROP in November 2015. This fulfilled the long standing demand of the defence forces personnel after 42 years benefited over 18 lakh ex-servicemen and war widows," the statement said.

IANS