Resentment In Armed Forces On Pay Parity

Taking a bold step, the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Suresh Mehta, has directly met and told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the resentment prevailing in the Armed Forces after the 6th Pay Commission was notified. Admiral Mehta, who is Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, met the P M and handed over a written note stating how the 6th Pay Commission had lowered the status of officers. He had gone to brief the PM on his recent visits to Japan and Korea.

He requested for direct intervention by the PM to restore parity of the Defence Forces Officers with their Civilian Counterparts. He also requested directions to the Finance Ministry to correct the parity and not let it rot at the Anomalies Committee. Meanwhile, in the Defence Circles, the step by the Naval Chief is seen a bold step keeping in line with the leadership qualities of a Chief. Admiral Mehta along with the two other Chiefs, General Deepak Kapoor and Air Marshal Fale Homi Major, has already protested before the Defence Minister A K Antony seeking restoration of parity.

The brief note of Admiral Mehta to the PM was that the Pay Commission has upset the parity especially at the middle level. This will have an effect on the organizational structure in various fields when Defence Officers and Civil Officers work together. Lieutenant Colonels and their equivalents in the Navy and Air Force form the backbone of the Forces. However, they have been left in the lurch. By one stroke of the pen, a Commandant of Assam Rifles, who is Second in Command to the Lieutenant Colonel, has been placed in higher pay band. Even the Military Service Pay that is supposed to meet the aspirations of the Defence Forces and maintain the edge over civilian pay scales, cannot bridge the gap in the present format.

Lt Col Pritam Singh Jauhal (Retd)
Founding President
Indian Ex-Servicemen Society British Columbia