I discussed this matter with a civilian officer colleague to get the other point of view and the following aspects emerged:
1. The civilian officer disputed that Lt Cols were at par with S-25. They like to think that Lt Cols are par with S-23 as the Lt Col's pay scales less Rank Pay fit 'within' the S-23 pay scale. (The starting of S-23 is even lower than the Lt Cols Basic less Rank Pay!) They completely negate factoring into the rank pay for the purpose of finding equivalent pay scales and for that matter inter se seniority. Is there any authority to settle this argument? From an army officer's perspective, army pay scales were 'independent' and can only be translated now to civilian equivalent after adding the rank pay. That would make it equivalent to S-25 (In fact the outer end of army's scale is superior to even S-25). Equivalence to S-25 seems fair to army officers as Rank Pay was included wherever basic was considered for the purpose of any sort of entitlements. And of course it was part of total pay drawn.
2. Even the VI Pay Commission has included the Rank Pay for calculating (multiplying by 1.86) the new Basic Pay for army officers who were already drawing the rank pay on 01 Jan 06. But they have fixed grade pay by negating the Rank Pay! Now officers getting promoted in future will have entry pay only on the basis of their grade pay. So the benefit of Rank Pay is there only for now and is set to vanish in future!
3. While explaining the origins of Rank Pay there is a line in the report that the rank pay was originally carved out of the army pay scales. That was at a time of running pay bands and Rank Pay was it seems to remove the problem of junior ranking officers with more service (increments) getting more pay than senior ranking officers with less increments. So if it was originally carved out of pay scales, how can it not be merged back to pay scales while doing away with the concept of Rank Pay?
4. As per the Air/Naval Chiefs statement Lt Cols are equivalent to S-25. They are very much including the rank pay for finding equivalent civilian scales. But I suspect that the people who really matter in this argument are civilian bureaucrats who don't seem to think so.
5. If Rank pay is not to be counted within basic then how do you compensate for rank pay while translating to civilian equivalent scales? The civilian officers like to think that MSP compensates for that loss. But isn't the MSP supposed to be a 'New Entitlement'. Why else are there are no arrears to MSP! Why is then Rank Pay included for fitment to new Basic Pay? It should not be included if MSP replaces Rank Pay. The pay commission report at some places indicates that it is a new entitlement: no arrears of MSP, MSP is also auth to Lieutenants and Personnel Below Officer Ranks who did not have any Rank Pay earlier! But it also at another place very ambiguously says that the calculation of MSP for PBOR is somehow affected by the lack of rank pay!?! Now anyone can interpret depending on which side he is on.
6. In any case as far as Lt Cols are concerned even MSP is not able to compensate for the loss of rank pay vis-à-vis the equivalent civilian officers. As they were earlier drawing Total Pay equal to S-25 and more than S-24. Now both S-24 and S-25 will be drawing a hell of a lot more.
7. Actually the problem has been heavily accentuated due to the odd and arbitrary Pay Band system which replaces the Pay Scale system. At each grade pay level, an entry basic pay level has been specified. Which in effect makes it practically quite like the old pay scale system. But what makes the system very strange is that at some 'very-very arbitrary' points you get into a super pay scale now called Pay Band. Now there is huge and sudden pay gain on certain promotions whereas relatively smaller increase on most of the other promotions. The very big arbitrary pay jump happens to lie between S-23 and S-24. Somewhere around Rs 15000! I really don't know the merits of this new system? Is this as a result of some scientific study in the HR field or an accident which is going to be justified with hindsight and reverse engineered pseudo-logic?
Lt Col Sumeet Patney (Retd)
Navy chief raises pay panel report anomaly with Antony
Comment: This anomaly will surely exist in spite of the Anamoly Commission trying its best to debug! After all Bureaucrats are Buzzing Mathematical Bees! Thanks also to the Army Brass for degradation of rank status! Do ESM stand a chance to fight for the injustices meted out by succeeding Pay Panels?
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