COMMITTEE OF SECYS APPOINTED BY GOVT OF INDIA
TO LOOK INTO PAY AND PENSION ANOMALIES OF ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL AND
EXSERVICEMAN
The nine issues before
the Committee of Secys (CoS) are all genuine and need to be resolved. 5 pertain
to serving and 4 to ESM.
POINT NO 1: NON FUNCTIONAL UPGRADATION (NFU)
1. Non Func Upgrad (NFU) has been given to
all Gp A services after a gap of 2 yrs eg 1982 IAS Batch has been empaneled for
Addl Secy .So all Gp A of 1980 batch will get pay n pension of Addl Secy in
HAG+ scale and pension of 37750/- which is = Lt Gen in AF. In other words it is
OROP through back door for all civs. Comparatively only 0.02% AF offrs reach Lt Gen
rank. 99% AF offrs retire at COL rank with Pension of 26050/- that too after 26 yrs. Pension gap 11000/-
Unfair.
2. Under NFU, at 17-19 yrs Gp A get Grade pay (GP) of
Jt Secy ie 10000/-. In AF GP 10000/- given to Maj Gens with 32 yrs service. Unfair.
Moreover this has created
Comd n control problems ie .Gp A civs
drawing GP of 10000/- refuse to work under COL with Gp 8700/- or Brig GP 8900/-
though technically Brig/Col are his superior.
3. This problem is compounded in mixed org with whom Def Offrs interact on functional basis, like MES
Civ Offrs, GREF Civ Offrs, Offrs of BSF, CRPF ,ITBP, Def
Accts(IDAS), Test Audit(IA&AS), Ord Factory Bd etc,
SOLUTION: All AF offrs should be extended benefit of NFU as
per length of service subject to fulfilling conditions in previous rank. As on
date offr reaches rank of Lt Col on completing 13 yrs service and COL by time
scale on completing 26 yrs service if not promoted earlier by selection. So effectively the Grade pay of COL should be
Rs 10000/- and comparable with other AIS/Gp A service at same length of service.
Promotion by time scale to the rank of
COL should be brought down from 26 to 21 yrs so that NFU can be given as given to Gp A Services; and at 26 yrs promotion by time scale to the
rank of Brig should be introduced. This will ensure that all officers reach the
scale and pension of Brig before retirement and can be given NFU of Maj
General. Due to the pyramid promotion structure which is based on age and rank
achieved the pay scale of Brig should be moved to HAG scale; Brig being a
higher rank and that of Maj General to HAG +. This would bring at par Gp A
pension of 37750/- (Addl Secy) to that of Maj General. A very fair proposition
and it will ensure that all AF officers draw the pension of Maj Gen at the time
of retirement, same as Gp A civs. In other words it will be All Ranks One
Pension.
Again we have narrow vision on NFU. Why not NFU should be implemented based on length of service linked with IAS. Two issued are separate (a) NFU and (b) Time scale promotion. Do not mixed with each other. Reduction in time scale promotion can be discussed separate.We should impliment NFU same as in OTHER GP A SERVICE TYPE means BATCH, LENGTH OF SERVICE. So that parity with respect to other services should be maintained like MES, IES, DRDO etc.
ReplyDeleteWe are all talking of emoluments and if not this or other. The only question is where does merit stand in this?Armed Forces cannot be a bunch of sleepers. We all have served and we know that merit is not universal. I feel a better proposition would be not grant of ranks but grant of higher pay and pension.That is a Col granted the higher pay and pension of Brig. Otherwise there will be universal belittling of ranks which we will see. The organization cannot shoulder so many ranks as it is.So much of belly aching is going on in formations that it is a joke.Well I am aware this view is not palatable to many. But let us not make the forces like municipal corporations.
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