SCPC ESM Sore: Higher the Rank, lower the Pension

PENSION SCALES NOTIFIED BY MOD

OFFICERS
SERVICE/ COLONEL/ BRIGADIER/ MAJ GEN/ LT GEN
20years/ Rs21,314/ Rs19,811/ Rs18,626/ Rs18,226
24years/ Rs24,472/ Rs22,981/ Rs21,396/ Rs21,396
26years/ Rs26,050/ Rs24,566/ Rs22,981/ Rs22,981

PBORs
SERVICE/ SEPOY/ NAIK/ HAVILDAR
15years/ Rs4,016/ Rs3,834/ Rs3,628
16years/ Rs4,176/ Rs4,000/ Rs3,800
20years/ Rs4,819/ Rs4,667/ Rs4,491

Association of Ex Servicemen, wants order withdrawn reported by Bhartesh Singh Thakur Chandigarh, November 25.

THE PENSION scales 'notified by the Ministry of Defence for pre-2006 pensioners have raised the hackles of ex-servicemen over a glaring incongruity- the higher the rank the loweris the pension; among both officers and other ranks. The All India Ex-servicemen Welfare Association (AIEWA) rejected the notification, describing it as a cruel joke at a meeting here today. Annexure II of the notification- for commissioned officers in the Army and equivalent ranks in the Navy and Airforce- issued on November 11, sets the pension of a captain after 20 years of service at Rs 12,172, while that of a major, a higher rank, as Rs 11,964. Only after 24.5 years of qualifying service would a major get more pension than a captain. Similarly, the pension of a colonel with 20 years of service is more than that of a brigadier, major general and even a lieutenant general. The story is the same in Annexure 111, for personnel below officer rank (PBOR). A sepoy will get more pension than a naik and havildar after 15 years of qualifying service. However, there are no anomalies in the pensions for naib subedar, subedar, subedar major, honourary lieutenant and honorary captain,all of, who have gained significantly from the new scales.

Following the AIEWA meeting, chairman Bhirn Sen Sehgal said earlier pension increased with service, but this time the higher the rank, the lower was the pension. He said it was probably due to the pay band system introduced this time, which had included three or more ranks in one band. AIEWA general secretary Channan Singh said that despite repeated assurances from Defence Minister AK Antony ex-servicemen had got a raw deal. The association unanimously demanded withdrawal of the notification, which they said had resulted in multifarious loss to all ranks of the armed forces from wrong application of the graded pay band system of the Sixth Pay Commission.
Hindustan Times Chandigarh Wednesday, November 26.