Armed forces refuse to implement 6th Pay Commission for time being

Armed forces refuse to implement 6th Pay Commission for time being

By Khabrein.Info News Desk,

New Delhi, Sept 11, 2008: Armed forces have refused to implement 6th Pay Commission for the time being. They are disappointed for glaring anomalies in the sixth pay commission against the middle rung army officers viz a viz civilian officers.

They have already complained on the issue of discrimination against armed forces in the pay commission recommendations that came to vogue from this month to every official, from defence minister to Prime Minister. But the issue still remains far from being solved.

In an unprecedented move last week Navy chief who met prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh also complained on the issue and wanted the anomalies to be taken care of by the government.

The armed forces chiefs have said that the anomalies in pay structure of the officials of the armed forces when compared to civilian officer may adversely affect the morale of Forces.

The main grouse of the forces revolves around the fact that the ‘‘extant parity’’ of Lt-Colonel rank officers has been lowered by retaining them in Pay Band-3 (Rs 15,600-39,100), while raising similarly placed civilians and paramilitary officers to PB-4 (Rs 37,400-67,000). The forces have also sought restoration of parity in grade pay for lower and middle rung Service officers with their civilian counterparts, who are going to get more as per the new pay scales.

Lieutenant colonels make a large number of Army officers and their equivalent in Navy and Air Force. Reports say that the additional cost of placing such officers in the higher pay band will work out to Rs 230 crore annually.

The armed forces chiefs are worried that he anomalies in the pay structure of armed forces officials viz a viz civilian officials can deter many bright young men from joining the armed forces in the future.

Even now there is a big gap of officials in the armed forces and the gap is increasing. The sort of talent that the army requires at officers level can easily get several time higher pay package than they actually get in the armed forces in India.

On Friday Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta met Dr Manmohan Singh over perceived discrimination against the armed forces. It is unprecedented for the Indian military to take its campaign for better pay to the level of the Prime Minister.

In the eye of the storm brewing in the army on the issue of revision, the Finance Ministry had on Wednesday virtually rejected military's pay demands, and the three services chiefs had on Thursday said that issues raised by them should be addressed by the country's political leadership instead of the Anomalies Committee.

Former armed forces chief General (Rtd) NC Vij had criticized the original Sixth pay recommendations calling it inadequate. In a letter written to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Sigh he had said, “ As a former chief, I feel morally duty-bound to bring this fact to the notice of the Hon'ble Prime Minister in my personal capacity. I take heart from the fact, that it is under your leadership, that, in my tenure, the government went for a major improvement in the 'operational posture by sanctioning South Western Command and 9 Corps HQs with full complements and also for some restoration of self esteem of the young officers through addressing their delayed promotions-cum-service conditions, by approving Part 1 of Ajay Vikram Singh Committee report'…If this had been followed up, through a balanced PCR and implementation of Part II of the 'AVS Report', things would have reasonably improved, but unfortunately the very opposite has happened.”

Stressing on the plight of army personnel he further said, “Sir, you yourself hail from a state, which has traditionally produced soldiers. You would have often wondered, as to why a supremely fit jawan/JCO who retires at the young age of 42-48, ages and grows old so fast. It is because he has no resources to fall back upon to ensure a decent living for his family after his early retirement. This problem gets further accentuated with the constraints of even poor farming conditions. Why should a soldier retire at this early age (other services serve upto 60 years) and why this man who has served the Nation so valiantly not be given a second career by way of 'lateral transfer', which alas will never come about”.

Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major in a letter addressed to Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Indian Navy chief says, “The finance ministry is introducing yet another anomaly by lowering the extant of parities of officers of the armed forces, of the Lt. Col. (and equivalent), by retaining them in pay band-3, while raising similarly placed civilian and paramilitary officers to pay band-4”.

IAF chief added that “It is reliably learnt that civilian and paramilitary officers in the extant pay scales S-24 (Rs.14,300-400-18,300) and S-25 (Rs.15,100-400-18,300) will be placed in pay band-4, whereas the same is being denied to the armed forces officers (Lt. Col. and equivalent) who were already in S-25”.


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