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| AFSPA must in J&K: Raju | | | Agencies
New Delhi, June 30: The Centre today said the act giving special powers to the armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir was a "necessary tool" and noted that any decision on reducing the number of troops in the state will depend on the level of infiltration of terrorists.
"To deal with the situation effectively, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is a necessary tool that we have to give them (armed forces)," Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju told reporters here.
On if the Government was considering repealing the Act after various requests from the state leaders including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, he said "it is a responsible decision that has to be made because you know that we have fought hard to gain control of the region".
Asked if there was any move to reduce the number of troops, he said, "depending on the situation, once we feel that things are returning to normal, there is lesser infiltration and we are confident about the situation, then only we will dilute the forces."
Commenting on the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) demand of the ex-servicemen, Raju said that the demand looked like a "fair" one.
"The matter has been examined before and as per the commitment in the Presidential address also, its being looked at right now. It looks like a fair request when you look at it from defence forces' and retired man's point of view," he said.
"Now it is for the Government to take a look at the financial implications and what it means," he added.
On the issue of granting permanent commission to women in more services, Raju said "Defence Minister is very keen that the process (of granting permanent commission to women) is accelerated and you will see some announcements."
He added that the Government was waiting for the recommendations by the Chiefs of Staffs Committee about the new Services in the armed forces where permanent commission can be granted to women.
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