DISCONTENT IN THE DEFENCE FORCES 

 DUE TO DEVIATIONS IN 

THE EMPOWERED PANEL'S REPORT 

ON THE 7th CPC RECOMMENDATIONS

Despite Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s repeated assurances, sources say that the empowered Panel have failed to fully address the anomalies and deviations in the recommendations of the 7th CPC. The three Service Chiefs also failed to adequately react timely to the omission by bringing the issue to the notice of the Prime Minister’s for his intervention.

After the Seventh Pay Commission made the recommendations on non-functional upgrade (NFU), NFU pay fixation, military service pay and the common pay matrix for the civil and military services, the three service chiefs made detailed presentations on the discrepancies on four occasions.

Mr. Parrikar had responded positively to most of the concerns. On NFU, the Defence Ministry recommended that it be given to all, including the Armed Forces, or no one. It was agreed that a note will be sent to the empowered committee.

Despite the above reports say that there are deviations in the recommendations of the empowered committee from the Ministry’s recommendations. Like for OROP, the three Services, had banked on Mr. Parrikar’s assurances. They were disappointed before and are once again dismayed.

The three Services seem to have become aware of the deviations recently, but the three Service Chiefs have failed to date, to take up the issue with the Prime Minister.

NFU essentially allows officers who are not promoted to draw the salary of higher ranks or pay grades, as their batch mates are promoted. The Sixth Pay Commission had granted NFU to most Group ‘A’ officers but not to the officers of the Armed Forces. So, whereas the IAS granted itself the NFU a long time back. the Armed Forces rotting in Group 'B', have had their old demand for NFU denied all these years.

The financial benefit from NFU is minor; it is more a question of status. Defence officers working in a multi-cadre environment have been lowered in rank with respect to the civil government staff.

For instance, an IPS officer posted as Deputy Inspector-General in the Border Security Force, (Protocol-wise, equivalent to a Brigadier), draws the same grade pay of Rs. 10,000 as his divisional commander who is a Major General of the Army and therefore, refuses to obey the divisional commander.

This also brings the issue of NFU pay fixation which has been decided by the Seventh Pay Commission as 2.5 times from the Sixth Pay Commission. This will further increase the existing difference. The Seventh Pay Commission has also done away with the common pay matrix and adopted a separate one for the Services.

The military service pay is an allowance paid to the military personal up to the rank of brigadier and equivalent. The Seventh Pay Commission denied it to Major-General and above. This means a Major-General after a year in that rank draws Rs. 8,500 less than a fellow coursemate who is a brigadier, one rank lower. This is because the two ranks are in the same pay grade but a brigadier gets the military service pay of Rs. 9,000, which stops once promoted.