There is a article by Chetan Bhagat in Dainik Bhaskar, which is against OROP agitation and says that further demand should be rational and as per the affordability of the nation. A veteran has replied him back, as follows. You may like to respond to him at chetan.bhagat@gmail.com Dear Chetan, 1. Read your article in Dainik Bhaskar of today and I fully agree that you have raised very relevant question of affordability of the nation. 2. But have you made this study of affordability on other services also or you want that it should only be applicable to FAUJIS. 3. Have you ever checked :- (i) What was the parity in status of Defence Personnel in pay and status in pre 1950 era, pre 1973 and Now ? (ii) How the status of Defense Services has deteriorated over all these years in parity with civilian counterparts in status and pay and allowances? (iii) How the reward of winning the 1971 War was given by reducing the Pension from 70(+)% to 50% and increasing the Pension of all the other civil counterparts from 30% to 50%? (iv) What is the pay and pension parity between Civilian officials and Defense Personals in other democratic countries like USA,UK Canada, Australia etc ? And why so ? (iv) What pension an average defence person including Officer gets in comparison to how much pension a civil servant gets ( like IAS, IPS or any other central service Officer) after completion of full service. (v) How much percentage of Civilian Officers reach to Top pay band and at how much length of service vis a vis to a Defence Service Officer? (vi) Why Non Functional Up gradation (NFU) has been denied to Defence and given all Civil Services including the Para Military Forces now. (vii) How much total emoluments including pension a soldiers gets till the age of 70 vis vis to his Civilian Counter parts including Para Military Forces ?(As a soldier retires at the age 35-37 where as others including Para Military Forces retire at age of 60 ) (viii) How in case of disaster or riots or any other emergency army does a better job in spite of getting lower pay than a counter part IPS officer in terms of length of service? (ix) Why a Politician get full Pension in less than 2 years and why a soldier has to serve for 15 years to earn that ( In case of Officers it is 20 years ) 4. Yes, you are very RIGHT that expenditure on Pension is an expenditure on unproductive activity, but should this be applicable only to Defence or should be for everybody? Is there a case to rationalize the whole system so that VETARANS (Ex Serviceman) do not feel cheated? Should we as a Nation not provide a suitable and respectable job to a soldier who retires early just because Nation requires a young Army? There are many more issues than the above which one should consider before taking a Holistic View on OROP and why a Soldier is feeling CHEATED in spite of doing his best for the Nation. If our Nation can not afford OROP as a wasteful and unproductive expenditure, so be it. But we should not apply this principle only on Defense Personnel, apply it universally and REDUCE the pension of every other also to bring parity and let Poverty be shared equally by one and all.