Govt clears separate pay panel for Armed Forces

CONCEDING to a long-standing demand of the Armed Forces, the Government has decided to set up a separate Pay Commission for defence personnel...

CONCEDING to a long-standing demand of the Armed Forces, the Government has decided to set up a separate Pay Commission for defence personnel, delinking pay revisions of defence personnel from their civilian counterparts in the future.

A senior ministry official confirmed that other than moving Lt Cols and equivalent officers to Pay Band PB 4 as demanded by the Forces, the PMO has also approved the setting up of a separate pay revision board for the Armed Forces in the future. The Armed Forces have for long been asking for a separate Pay Commission with representatives of the forces on board to address the 8216;unique8217; requirements of the defence services.

8220;A separate pay panel has been approved and when the seventh pay revision takes place, the salary of Armed Forces personnel will be delinked from civilian officials. A separate board will then decide their pay hikes,8221; said a top ministry official.

The main contention of the Armed Forces in the present Pay Commission tussle was achieving parity with their civilian counterparts. However, officials said with the Government deciding to delink their pay from the civilian set-up, such problems would not crop up in the future.

While the demand for higher pay for Lt Cols has been met, the PMO has not decided on issues of status and command and control functions of Armed Forces officers versus their para-military and civilian counterparts. Sources said a high-powered review committee had now been constituted to look into these demands.

The Armed Forces, who are yet to receive an official note on the decisions taken by the PM, are waiting for more details before reacting. While they have welcomed the move to place Lt Cols in PB 4, there is ambiguity whether all officers will be placed in the pay band.

The defence services, which attach great importance to rank and hierarchy, will also face a peculiar situation after Lt Col equivalent officers are moved to PB 4. The structure will now have Lt Cols, Cols, Brigadiers and even Maj Generals in the same pay band. While in service, the pay will be distinguished on the basis of grade pay and other benefits, at the current rate, a Colonel who retires from service will draw roughly the same pension as a Maj General who goes on retirement.