As the consultations enter the final stage in the empowered committee on the Seventh Pay Commission, there is discontent among the military brass over deviations on key issues, despite Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s assurances. Sources said the three service chiefs may seek the Prime Minister’s 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.
Officials said Mr. Parrikar responded positively to most of the concerns. On NFU, the Defence Ministry recommended that it be given to all, including the forces, or no one. “It was agreed that a note will be sent to the empowered committee,” a senior official said, speaking of the outcome of the presentations.
But there are deviations in the deliberations of the empowered committee from the Ministry’s recommendations. The services which were banking on Mr. Parrikar’s assurances expressed dismay.
Officials said the services got to know of the deviations recently and the three chiefs are likely to take up the issue with the Cabinet Secretary who heads the empowered committee.
The demand for NFU by the armed forces is an old one. It 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 the military officers. So the services have been demanding a notional NFU from the Sixth Pay Commission to bridge the gap. The Sixth Pay Commission was divided on the issue.
“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,” a senior officer said.
For instance, an IPS officer posted as Deputy Inspector-General in the Border Security Force headquarters draws the same grade pay of Rs. 10,000 as his divisional commander who is a Major General of the Army. Owing to the same grade, the DIG refuses to obey the divisional commander, one officer said.
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.
