A CASE FOR URGENT REFIXATION OF PAY (BANDS/GRADE PAY) AND ALLOWANCES/PENSIONS OF ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL - W.E.F. 01.01.2006

Respected Sir,

The following is submitted for your kind perusal, please.

1. The 6th CPC recommendations have added more woes to the already beleaguered Armed Forces Personnel in respect of Pay, Pay Grade, and Pension related decisions, particularly to the lower/middle level functionaries. The comparison of army Sepoy with a police Constable appear to be main reason for this fiasco. The job criteria/service/working conditions of a Sepoy( and equivalent in AF/Navy) are distinctively different from that of a Constable.

2. The process of recruitment of army personnel emphasizes requirement of able bodied and fairly educated/intelligent youngsters so as to train them to the combatant service which is fairly technological and highly skilled. They are required to render most of their services usually in extreme geographical/climatic conditions, treacherous/inhospitable terrains along the borders of the country, facing the enemy forces. The professional hazard here is simply THE PHYSICAL THREAT OR RISK TO LIFE and hence stands unparalleled and comparable to any other service under the government. Apart from this known element of SUPREME SACRIFICE conditionality, the AF Personnel are subject to (a) Frequent Postings in all directions on borders and far away from native place/district/state, (b) Unfamiliar/inhospitable/extreme climatic conditions in places of posting, (c) Unsuitable/forced circumstances in not allowing families to stay at workstations, resulting in extra expenditure on maintenance of more than one establishment, (d) Inability to take care of the family/social obligations and protect family/ancestral properties due to prolonged absence from home. No amount of monetary compensation can substitute these peculiarities, which are simply not known to the Civilian employees.

3. It may be pointed out that the Sepoy 's pay scale was always more than the Constable/LDC in the IV and V CPC revisions of pay. It is unfortunate that this time in VI CPC revision, the Sepoy's pay has been fixed at the lowest along with Group D employees scales for some unfair, unknown and inexplicable reasons (the Peons,NCs(E), Lascars, Mess Waiters/Water Carriers etc are now clubbed with LDC/UDC and Sepoys). Furthermore, all other ranks of PBORs and also the Commissioned officers have been fixed their pay scales/grade pay , unjustly, @ of at least ONE RANK BELOW w.e.f. 1.1.06. This requires urgent correction. Therefore, to set right this unjust anomaly, the following suggested course of re fixation/revision of pay scales/grade pays would meet the ends of justice:-

(A) PAY SCALE AND GRADE PAY IN PAY BANDS
(a) PBORs (EQUIVALENTS IN ARMY/NAVY):

AIRCRAFTMAN - PB-1 AND GRADE PAY Rs.2400/-

LEADING A/C - PB-1 AND GRADE PAY Rs.2800/-

CORPORAL - PB-1 AND GRADE PAY Rs. 3600/-

SERGEANT - PB-2 AND GRADE PAY Rs.4200/-

JUNIOR W.O. - PB-2 AND GRADE PAY Rs4600/-

WARRANT OFFICER - PB-2 AND GRADE PAY Rs4800/-

MASTER W.O. - PB-2 AND GRADE PAY Rs5400/-

(HONY FG OFFR - PB-3 AND GRADE PAY Rs.6100/-

AND HONY FLT LT -PB-3 AND GRADE PAY Rs.6600/-)

(b) COMMISSIONED OFFICERS( The commissioned Officers' ranks have been subjected to avoidable reduction in pay scales from 1.1.86 onwards (rank pay de-linked/deducted from basic pay) and the matter is sub-judice (Maj Dhanapalan's case):-

FLIGHT CADET (ON JOINING ACADEMY) - PB-3 AND GRADE PAY Rs.5400/-

FLYING OFFICER - PB-3 AND GRADE PAY Rs.6100/-

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT- PB-3 AND GRADE PAY Rs.6600/-

SQUADRON LEADER - PB-3 AND GRADE PAY Rs.7600/-

WING COMMANDER - PB-4 AND GRADE PAY Rs.8900/-

GROUP CAPTAIN - PB-4 AND GRADE PAY Rs.10000/-

( B) MILITARY SERVICES PAY :- The existing fixed rates of Rs.2000/-(PBORs) and Rs.6000/- (Officers) appear be not commensurate with rank or length of service. Equity and natural justice demand that this pay be allowed akin to other allowances like HRA, DA etc. on certain percentage basis. Accordingly the following fair rate(s)is suggested:-

(a) PBORs/JCOs - @50% of Basic pay of the rank held or 1.5 times of Grade pay applicable to their rank, subject to a minimum of Rs.2000/-.

(b) Officers - @ 33%of Basic Pay of the rank held or 1.25 times of Grade Pay applicable to their rank, subject to a minimum or Rs.6000/-

(c) NCs(E): The NCs(E) also don service uniform (although they are non-combatants) but their service conditions are similar to PBORs. It would be just and proper they too get MSP @Rs.1500/-flat rate.

(C) PENSIONS :- The pensions of the Officers and PBORs may be revised to the 70% of the total emoluments (last 10 months average) or the last pay drawn, whichever is beneficial to them for the 15/20 year respective eligibility of pensions,(de-linking 33 year condition for earning full pension) for all w.e.f. 1.1.06. This will ensure all senior ranked PBORs/Officers get more pension than their juniors (past or present).

(D) MEDICAL ALLOWANCES:- Presently the Medical allowance is paid at a fixed rate of Rs.100/-p.m. to all non-CGHS covered PBORs. This is very meagre and negligible especially in the context of soaring rates of medicines or the consultation charges of the Doctors. So, in fitness of things, this allowance may be increased to Rs.2000/-pm w.e.f. 1.9.08.

(E)LATERAL ABSORPTION/MOVEMENT:- The general perception that the personnel of Armed Forces are fit for Security or Guards duties is ill-conceived and illogical. The VI CPC, therefore, strongly recommended for Lateral Absorption/movement of AF personnel to CPOs/CPMFs and other other organisations of Defence Ministry. But the PBORs/officers of the Armed Forces are well-trained and richly experienced in their respective fields. Their USP is the ability to work superbly under severe stress/strain and often ON THE FACE OF DANGER TO LIFE. Their disciplined life/work style fits them to any type of job with ease and a little bit of guidance. Therefore, it is in fitness of things that a flat 10% posts in all categories of Central/State Govt Depts may be earmarked for this purpose and implemented immediately to utilise the rich experienced work force and avoid loss of time and resources in future recruitment/training of fresh work force to that extent.

Yours faithfully, http://www.exsmpborwelfare.blogspot.com/ 16.8.2009