In India, unlike armies in our neighbourhood, our armed forces have been traditionally apolitical and exceedingly disciplined. The Indian soldier has acquitted himself with honour in the wars that, thanks to his valour, ignited great patriotic fervour among all men and women of the country. Unfortunately for the Indian soldier, however, the worst of these wars – the ongoing ‘proxy war’ – is not as spectacular as all-out Indo-Pak wars and yet it has taken heavier toll than the combined toll of all those wars in terms of lives of our soldiers and national wealth. And it goes on unabated.
It is in such trying times that the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission have delivered a shattering blow to the soldiery demoralising the rank and file very badly. Officers and men across the three Services are stunned even though solemn and silent. Never before has the Indian soldier needed and deserved more honour, respect, love and remuneration for his sacrifices and dedication. Constitutionally, the Defence Forces have their constraints and cannot express their problems in the manner in which most of our civil services and brethren do through public demonstration. This handicap often sends wrong signals to the political leaders who are used to noise, pandemonium and violence in streets or in the House rather than quiet presentations marked with etiquette and restraint. Over the years, they have taken the silence of the armed forces for granted.
But times have changed now. Easy access to advanced means of communication has laid the whole world bare for the soldier to form his own perceptions. The speed and magnitude of socio-economic changes have obliterated the class demarcations in our society to a large extent giving rise to higher ambitions even among the village youth. The profile of Indian soldier is no longer that of the proverbial Sepoy Bhup Singh who would ‘do or die without questioning why’. The level of awareness among rank and file in the armed forces is stunningly high today. Whereas life is becoming more and more comfortable for everyone in the modern world, his operational burden is becoming heavier by the day degrading his basic comforts and heightening danger to his life. And his role is not limited only to fight terrorism and the enemy. Almost every failure of the civil administration comes to him to be redeemed. Be it emergencies like natural calamities, disaster management, or man-made catastrophic situations like communal violence, blasts, strikes, service breakdown or even heaving hapless children from death traps like bore wells left open in villages, everyone turns to the soldier – administration’s last resort and people’s most reliable saviour! A soldier is a jack of all trades!
He has had enough of it. He knows his power but is restrained by his discipline and value system drilled into him through training and tradition of chivalry by his leaders. But increasing pressures and declining honour of the profession have pushed him to the corner. He has no more space to manoeuvre and is left with only one option to choose from: kill or get killed. The writing on the wall is clear and people must be blind not to read it from the increasing number of incidents like suicide, fratricide, desertion with a large number of their frustrated leaders already queuing up to leave the service prematurely. Are our political leaders able to fathom the seriousness and real dimension of the problem? Is it merely a Services’ problem? No, it is a big national problem because our Defence Forces are the guarantors of nation’s safety and security against all kinds of threats; and their higher motivation level will always be the most significant factor in safeguarding our national interests. Therefore, those in charge of affairs of the nation have a duty to ensure maintenance of a high level of morale and motivation by requiting the soldier honourably.
Does the following verse composed in anguish by Francis Quarles long ago describe today’s Indian psyche in painfully apt terms?
“Our God and soldiers we alike adore
Only at the brink of danger; not before;
After deliverance, both are alike requited –
Our God’s forgotten and our soldiers slighted.”
Now I understand why there was mass hysteria in Indian masses eulogizing and adoring the soldier during Kargil War and why they appear oblivious of all that is happening to their hero now.. Who dared touch our soldier then? And now, who cares for a soldier whose ongoing battle and sacrifices continue but are not melodramatic enough to entertain or scare us!
High morale and fighting potential of the armed forces are a national asset and worth as much as the cost of freedom and security of the country. What you give to the soldier is not his remuneration; it is your investment in national defence. Economic growth alone cannot make India a super power in the world. Richness actually carries an element of vulnerability along. It is the strong and able armed forces that would provide credibility to the concept of ‘super power’. Belittling the soldier is, therefore, belittling the nation and weakening its defence potential at a time when India, though poised to emerge as a super power, is threatened by hordes of evil forces seeking to weaken and disintegrate India from within and without. Even as we progress economically, let us also make our future generations safe.
Whatever the notion of some of the politicians, Indian generals have an accountability and owe clarifications to the Indian public who pay for the hefty defence budget and for whose security the armed forces are maintained. And we know for certain that our generals are professionally as competent and morally as upright as the best in the world, odd aberrations here and there notwithstanding. It was a different army and their generals on whom Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington had lamented in one of his military dispatches in these words:
“When I reflect upon the characters and attainments of our General officers of this army – on whom I am to rely – I tremble; and, as Lord Chesterfield said of the Generals of this day, ‘I only hope that when the enemy reads the list of their names, he trembles as I do!”
Indian generals must not be snubbed and their opinion – be it on matters of national security or border disputes must be respected because most of those who shamelessly comment on a General’s propriety to speak to media on such matters have not treaded where the general has. In fact others must not speak out on such matters without the general’s informed counsel.
There was a time when bureaucracy in the US was influencing the political leadership in somewhat similar manner while deciding on army’s budgetary needs. In 1933 Gen MacArthur, then Chief of the US Army, did not hesitate to protest against the deep cuts in the Army’s budget. And when President Franklin Roosevelt did not relent, he roared with his characteristic disregard to personal interests, “Mr. President, when we lose the next war and an American boy lying in the mud with an enemy bayonet through his belly and an enemy foot on his throat, spits out his last curse, I want the name on his lips to be Roosevelt, not MacArthur.” He concluded by saying that he was resigning although he was later persuaded to withdraw it after Roosevelt finally yielded and reversed most of the proposed cuts.
All top generals, admirals and air marshals of India are today squirming with similar belly aches and may stand up putting country’s interests ahead of their own. Let us hope the government will not compel them to speak out loudly because military ‘loudness’ is never good for ear drums!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
A General's letter in anguish to the PM
Retired officers of the Indian armed forces took out a rally in Gurgaon, Haryana, on Sunday to protest against the sixth Pay Commission report. The rally was held in Gurgaon as the Central government refused to allow it to be held in New Delhi and didn't even allow them to lay a wreath on India Gate to pay homage to soldiers who gave their lives for the country.
Commodore Uday Bhaskar told rediff.com, "The Sixth pay commission's recommendation, if implemented, will not help raise the morale of the armed forces. The Indian fauj (forces), once the noble 'profession of arms', will be reduced to a ignoble 'profession of alms' by a callous politico-bureaucratic elite."
General Nirmal Chander Vij, former Chief of Army Staff, wrote a letter in anguish to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the adverse implications of the sixth pay commission on the armed forces.
The army's foremost strategist and a Kargil war-decorated soldier, General Vij was country's 21st Chief of Army Staff. The letter written on April 17, 2008, speaks volumes about the armed forces' dissatisfaction, which no government can ignore.
The copy of the letter written by N C Vij to Dr Singh is reproduced below.
Adverse implications of sixth Pay Commission report on the armed forces
Last week I had gone to Amritsar [Images] to attend a regimental function. I was surprised to note the intense disappointment and despondency in all the jawans, officers and their families as they spoke vociferously about how let down they felt with the sixth Pay Commission report. The services chiefs have already met the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri (defence minister) and expressed their deep concern.
As a former chief, I feel morally duty-bound to bring this fact to the notice of the Hon'ble Prime Minister in my personal capacity. I take heart from the fact, that it is under your leadership, that, in my tenure, the government went for a major improvement in the 'operational posture by sanctioning South Western Command and 9 Corps HQs with full complements and also for some restoration of self esteem of the young officers through addressing their delayed promotions-cum-service conditions, by approving Part 1 of Ajay Vikram Singh Committee report'.
If this had been followed up, through a balanced PCR and implementation of Part II of the 'AVS Report', things would have reasonably improved, but unfortunately the very opposite has happened.
The PCR has hurt the Armed Forces on the following major accounts:
Military Service Pay - (X Factor): The Military Service Pay, which has now been introduced, is intended to compensate service personnel for intangible difficulties and risks, which they experience during their service careers. While this is a welcome step, the jawans who face the greatest privations, have been given a paltry amount of Rs 1000/-.
As recommended by the three services to the Ministry of Defence, this compensation be fixed in the following manner; (i) for jawans and Junior Commissioned Officers (below Lt rank), MSP should be 62.5 per cent of their basic pay (ii) for officers, MSP be fixed at 56.5 per cent of basic pay (iii) since there is no justification for excluding Maj Generals and Lt Generals from this pay (just 300 in number), they should also be included. (iv)Lastly, as these difficult service conditions have been existing all along, the arrears must be paid wef Jan 1, 2006, as in the case of other recommendations of the Pay Commission. All these recommendations have already been made by the Defence Services.
Depressed Pay Scales and Lowering of Status of Officers: (i) In determining the grade pay of officers of the rank of Brigadiers and below, the Pay Commission has excluded the rank pay, from the scale of officers, on the ground that rank pay is an element of Military Service Pay now proposed. The exclusion of the rank pay from the pay scale has led to depressed grades of pay and lowering 'Services' status in different ranks by one rung below the extant position. This will cause immense functional problems not only for inter-se functioning vis-a-vis the civilian/police counterparts etc but also within the Armed Forces, wherein a large number of civilians are working.
The Pay Commission has upgraded the DsG of certain police forces and certain specific posts in other civil services. It is important to note that (i) Lt Generals and equivalent comprise just 0.13% of the Services Officer Cadre as against at least fifteen-twenty times more posts at that level in civil/police services and more than a hundred times in the IAS. Furthermore, the creation of posts of Special Secretaries like the earlier Additional DGP will further upset the entire status equation. The promotions in the Services are achieved (if one escapes the most extraordinary degree of supercessions) with much longer service. For example at the lower level, a Brigadier is promoted after 28 years service and a Major General with 33 years service, whereas their counterparts (in non-military services) get these promotions with 14-16 and 20 years service resulting in huge disparities. The service officers thus suffer both on account of status and total take home salary to the tune of 30-40 lakh and more.
In order to restore parity, I, therefore, strongly recommend that:- (i) ideally, the rank pay should be restored or in the very least, grade pay be linked to the length of service equivalent to that of the IAS, since the promotions in services are much slower and;(ii) For protecting the status equation of 'Lieutenant Generals' it is recommended that they must remain above DsG of Police forces and equivalent to five DsG of the PMF. It may be mentioned that in the Warrant of Precedence, all 'Lt Generals' have been placed in Article 24, whereas, DsGP are in Article 25. Hence, any disparity in pay structure will lead to an anomalous situation. Similarly, the status equations finalized in the Fifth Pay Commission for all levels must be maintained. Any further erosion of status will undermine the military leadership in the eyes of their own subordinates.
Introduction of Running Pay Band and Adverse Impact on Junior and Middle Piece (Majors to Colonels) and Brigadiers level Officers: The new scales now introduced have hurt officers of these levels very badly and are resulting in virtually negligible benefits amounting to just 10 percent or so. This aberration is likely to start a trend of resignations of large number of officers, in these ranks soon on completion of the mandatory minimum 20 years service. I gather that already more than approx 650 officers have been waitlisted for premature release. The Services, which are already heavily undersubscribed, cannot sustain this exodus. One additional pay band is required to be introduced here to ensure suitable benefits to officers at all levels. There is, thus, a need to have two pay bands, one between Lt to Lt Colonels and the other between Colonels to Brigadiers with suitable raise linked to the length of service.
Lateral Shift and Assured Second Career for Men-'A Myth': The Pay Commission recommendations for the Services hinge, largely, on the successful implementation of the lateral transfer of the service personnel, into the PMFs/Central Police Organizations (CPOs). Thus, these recommendations have been 'based on and got eroded' in the garb of a possible future lateral shift and assured second career. The scheme of lateral transfer, if not implemented or delayed, would negate the most core underlying concept/assumption of these recommendations. I may submit here, that this particular recommendation has been attempted for implementation for decades (included in the Fifth Pay Commission Report also) but with no success earlier. Nor will it succeed in future for the obvious reasons. All Pay Commission recommendations thus need to be re-examined in the absence of this basic assumption of lateral transfer. The lateral transfer was also considered earlier actively and dropped, when I was the Vice Chief.
Safeguarding of Interest of the Pensioners: Over the past two decades, the government has been able to achieve some parity in the pensions of the current and past retirees. 'One rank one pension' was more or less achieved for the men, and in the case of officers, some minimum parity was brought in by grant of pension at the bottom of scale of the rank in which they retired. However, with introduction of running pay bands and the absence of top and bottom of the scales for any rank, the parity with specific bands, achieved over some time now, will be lost. There is, thus, a need to protect the interests of the past retirees by suitable modifications and thereby ensuring enhanced pensionary benefits to the tune of minimum 30%.
'Anomalies Committee' is Unlikely to Succeed in Addressing the Grievances of the Armed Forces: I have read in the media that an Anomalies Committee has been set up to look into the issues raised by everyone. This will not solve the problems of the Armed Forces for two reasons: (a) The Lack of Sensitivity/ Understanding -- This committee, which does not even have representatives of the armed forces as their members, will never be able to achieve a deep understanding or be sensitive enough to their problems. It is for this reason of lack of sensitivity, that the status of the Indian Armed Forces has undergone constant erosion with every Pay Commission Report. (b) Problems are of Basic Principles and Not Mere Technicalities -- The anomalies committees can address the technicalities but our problems are on account of the core concepts and approach and not merely of technicalities. The problems of the Services can be solved, only with the involvement of the leadership of the country. Therefore, a 'Group of Ministers' alone will be able to address these issues.
Summary of Recommendations:
(a) Lateral Shift and Assured Second Careers for Men: Since all recommendations for the men are based on an assured second career, which is likely to be a non starter, a time limit of one year be fixed for implementation of the proposal of 'lateral shift'. In the interim, all related recommendations for men be reviewed and made applicable as suggested in this paper based on the existing scenario.
(b) Military Service Pay: As recommended by the three services to the Ministry of Defence, this compensation be fixed in the following manner (i) for jawans and Junior Commissioned Officers, MSP should be 62.5 per cent of their basic pay (ii) for officers at all levels, it should be fixed at 56.5 per cent of their basic pay (iii) since, there is no justification for excluding Major Generals and Lt Generals from this pay (just 300 in number), they should also be included for benefits as all other officers. (iv)Lastly, as these difficult service conditions have been existing all along, the arrears must be paid wef January 1 2006, as in case of other recommendations of the Pay Commission.
(c) Depressed Pay Scales and Restoration of Status of Officers: In order to restore parity, the recommendations are (i) ideally, the rank pay should be restored or alternatively the grade pay be linked to the length of service equivalent to that of the IAS, since the promotions in the services are much slower and fewer. (ii) with a view to protect the status equations of Lt Generals, they should be above DsG of Police forces and be equivalent to that of the five DsG of the PMFs and remain in Article 24 of the Warrant of Precedence and lastly (iii) the status equations finalized in the Fifth Pay Commission report must be maintained in all the ranks.
(d) Introduction of Running Pay Band and Adverse Impact on Junior and Middle Piece Officers: To offset the disadvantages of virtually no benefits to junior and middle level officers and also the factor of much delayed-cum-fewer promotions, an additional pay band be introduced. There should, thus, be two pay bands; one for Lt to Lt Cols and second for Colonels to Brigadiers with suitable raise linked to the length of service.
(e) Protection of Pension for Past Retirees: Fixation of pension scale for the past retirees be done in a manner that their interests are protected and they get raise in their pensions to the tune of minimum 30 percent.
(f) Group of Ministers: It is recommended that a GOM be appointed to examine the grievances of the Services. Till the time, their recommendations are finalized, the Pay Commission Report for the Services be held up.
Conclusion
Sir, you yourself hail from a state, which has traditionally produced soldiers. You would have often wondered, as to why a supremely fit jawan/JCO who retires at the young age of 42-48, ages and grows old so fast. It is because he has no resources to fall back upon to ensure a decent living for his family after his early retirement. This problem gets further accentuated with the constraints of even poor farming conditions. Why should a soldier retire at this early age (other services serve upto 60 years) and why this man who has served the Nation so valiantly not be given a second career by way of 'lateral transfer', which alas will never come about.
The service conditions have become even tougher and more risk prone today than what they were when we joined the service in 1962, because of the pressures of 'insurgency'. Insurgency poses nearly as much physical danger as a war. A soldier is thus exposed to constant risks and yet he retains the motivation to build a 'fence of 650 km length at varying altitudes upto 14000 ft' in six to nine months flat, to successfully defeat the infiltration. The foreign armies are studying the underlying reasons of such a high level of motivation and dedication.
In the Indian Armed Forces, a jawan/officer serves almost every alternate tenure of three years in the insurgency environment, whereas all other armies in the world are not being able to sustain even one 'nine months' tenure. Officers and their jawans do it for the izzat (honour) but this raison d'etre is now getting deflated with such Pay Commission reports, and all their expectations are being shattered.
I strongly urge you Sir, to appoint a 'GOM' for the armed forces and withhold the implementation of this report, for the defence services, till the justice is given to them. The armed forces cannot sustain any continuation of poor intake of officers and also current wave of resignation requests. Already, the Indian Military Academy and OTA, Chennai are reporting a drop in the intake by over 70 per cent. In case of jawans, this recruitment trend will continue yet for a few more years, but their level of motivation will drop. The country cannot afford either of these situations.
N C Vij
Commodore Uday Bhaskar told rediff.com, "The Sixth pay commission's recommendation, if implemented, will not help raise the morale of the armed forces. The Indian fauj (forces), once the noble 'profession of arms', will be reduced to a ignoble 'profession of alms' by a callous politico-bureaucratic elite."
General Nirmal Chander Vij, former Chief of Army Staff, wrote a letter in anguish to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the adverse implications of the sixth pay commission on the armed forces.
The army's foremost strategist and a Kargil war-decorated soldier, General Vij was country's 21st Chief of Army Staff. The letter written on April 17, 2008, speaks volumes about the armed forces' dissatisfaction, which no government can ignore.
The copy of the letter written by N C Vij to Dr Singh is reproduced below.
Adverse implications of sixth Pay Commission report on the armed forces
Last week I had gone to Amritsar [Images] to attend a regimental function. I was surprised to note the intense disappointment and despondency in all the jawans, officers and their families as they spoke vociferously about how let down they felt with the sixth Pay Commission report. The services chiefs have already met the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri (defence minister) and expressed their deep concern.
As a former chief, I feel morally duty-bound to bring this fact to the notice of the Hon'ble Prime Minister in my personal capacity. I take heart from the fact, that it is under your leadership, that, in my tenure, the government went for a major improvement in the 'operational posture by sanctioning South Western Command and 9 Corps HQs with full complements and also for some restoration of self esteem of the young officers through addressing their delayed promotions-cum-service conditions, by approving Part 1 of Ajay Vikram Singh Committee report'.
If this had been followed up, through a balanced PCR and implementation of Part II of the 'AVS Report', things would have reasonably improved, but unfortunately the very opposite has happened.
The PCR has hurt the Armed Forces on the following major accounts:
Military Service Pay - (X Factor): The Military Service Pay, which has now been introduced, is intended to compensate service personnel for intangible difficulties and risks, which they experience during their service careers. While this is a welcome step, the jawans who face the greatest privations, have been given a paltry amount of Rs 1000/-.
As recommended by the three services to the Ministry of Defence, this compensation be fixed in the following manner; (i) for jawans and Junior Commissioned Officers (below Lt rank), MSP should be 62.5 per cent of their basic pay (ii) for officers, MSP be fixed at 56.5 per cent of basic pay (iii) since there is no justification for excluding Maj Generals and Lt Generals from this pay (just 300 in number), they should also be included. (iv)Lastly, as these difficult service conditions have been existing all along, the arrears must be paid wef Jan 1, 2006, as in the case of other recommendations of the Pay Commission. All these recommendations have already been made by the Defence Services.
Depressed Pay Scales and Lowering of Status of Officers: (i) In determining the grade pay of officers of the rank of Brigadiers and below, the Pay Commission has excluded the rank pay, from the scale of officers, on the ground that rank pay is an element of Military Service Pay now proposed. The exclusion of the rank pay from the pay scale has led to depressed grades of pay and lowering 'Services' status in different ranks by one rung below the extant position. This will cause immense functional problems not only for inter-se functioning vis-a-vis the civilian/police counterparts etc but also within the Armed Forces, wherein a large number of civilians are working.
The Pay Commission has upgraded the DsG of certain police forces and certain specific posts in other civil services. It is important to note that (i) Lt Generals and equivalent comprise just 0.13% of the Services Officer Cadre as against at least fifteen-twenty times more posts at that level in civil/police services and more than a hundred times in the IAS. Furthermore, the creation of posts of Special Secretaries like the earlier Additional DGP will further upset the entire status equation. The promotions in the Services are achieved (if one escapes the most extraordinary degree of supercessions) with much longer service. For example at the lower level, a Brigadier is promoted after 28 years service and a Major General with 33 years service, whereas their counterparts (in non-military services) get these promotions with 14-16 and 20 years service resulting in huge disparities. The service officers thus suffer both on account of status and total take home salary to the tune of 30-40 lakh and more.
In order to restore parity, I, therefore, strongly recommend that:- (i) ideally, the rank pay should be restored or in the very least, grade pay be linked to the length of service equivalent to that of the IAS, since the promotions in services are much slower and;(ii) For protecting the status equation of 'Lieutenant Generals' it is recommended that they must remain above DsG of Police forces and equivalent to five DsG of the PMF. It may be mentioned that in the Warrant of Precedence, all 'Lt Generals' have been placed in Article 24, whereas, DsGP are in Article 25. Hence, any disparity in pay structure will lead to an anomalous situation. Similarly, the status equations finalized in the Fifth Pay Commission for all levels must be maintained. Any further erosion of status will undermine the military leadership in the eyes of their own subordinates.
Introduction of Running Pay Band and Adverse Impact on Junior and Middle Piece (Majors to Colonels) and Brigadiers level Officers: The new scales now introduced have hurt officers of these levels very badly and are resulting in virtually negligible benefits amounting to just 10 percent or so. This aberration is likely to start a trend of resignations of large number of officers, in these ranks soon on completion of the mandatory minimum 20 years service. I gather that already more than approx 650 officers have been waitlisted for premature release. The Services, which are already heavily undersubscribed, cannot sustain this exodus. One additional pay band is required to be introduced here to ensure suitable benefits to officers at all levels. There is, thus, a need to have two pay bands, one between Lt to Lt Colonels and the other between Colonels to Brigadiers with suitable raise linked to the length of service.
Lateral Shift and Assured Second Career for Men-'A Myth': The Pay Commission recommendations for the Services hinge, largely, on the successful implementation of the lateral transfer of the service personnel, into the PMFs/Central Police Organizations (CPOs). Thus, these recommendations have been 'based on and got eroded' in the garb of a possible future lateral shift and assured second career. The scheme of lateral transfer, if not implemented or delayed, would negate the most core underlying concept/assumption of these recommendations. I may submit here, that this particular recommendation has been attempted for implementation for decades (included in the Fifth Pay Commission Report also) but with no success earlier. Nor will it succeed in future for the obvious reasons. All Pay Commission recommendations thus need to be re-examined in the absence of this basic assumption of lateral transfer. The lateral transfer was also considered earlier actively and dropped, when I was the Vice Chief.
Safeguarding of Interest of the Pensioners: Over the past two decades, the government has been able to achieve some parity in the pensions of the current and past retirees. 'One rank one pension' was more or less achieved for the men, and in the case of officers, some minimum parity was brought in by grant of pension at the bottom of scale of the rank in which they retired. However, with introduction of running pay bands and the absence of top and bottom of the scales for any rank, the parity with specific bands, achieved over some time now, will be lost. There is, thus, a need to protect the interests of the past retirees by suitable modifications and thereby ensuring enhanced pensionary benefits to the tune of minimum 30%.
'Anomalies Committee' is Unlikely to Succeed in Addressing the Grievances of the Armed Forces: I have read in the media that an Anomalies Committee has been set up to look into the issues raised by everyone. This will not solve the problems of the Armed Forces for two reasons: (a) The Lack of Sensitivity/ Understanding -- This committee, which does not even have representatives of the armed forces as their members, will never be able to achieve a deep understanding or be sensitive enough to their problems. It is for this reason of lack of sensitivity, that the status of the Indian Armed Forces has undergone constant erosion with every Pay Commission Report. (b) Problems are of Basic Principles and Not Mere Technicalities -- The anomalies committees can address the technicalities but our problems are on account of the core concepts and approach and not merely of technicalities. The problems of the Services can be solved, only with the involvement of the leadership of the country. Therefore, a 'Group of Ministers' alone will be able to address these issues.
Summary of Recommendations:
(a) Lateral Shift and Assured Second Careers for Men: Since all recommendations for the men are based on an assured second career, which is likely to be a non starter, a time limit of one year be fixed for implementation of the proposal of 'lateral shift'. In the interim, all related recommendations for men be reviewed and made applicable as suggested in this paper based on the existing scenario.
(b) Military Service Pay: As recommended by the three services to the Ministry of Defence, this compensation be fixed in the following manner (i) for jawans and Junior Commissioned Officers, MSP should be 62.5 per cent of their basic pay (ii) for officers at all levels, it should be fixed at 56.5 per cent of their basic pay (iii) since, there is no justification for excluding Major Generals and Lt Generals from this pay (just 300 in number), they should also be included for benefits as all other officers. (iv)Lastly, as these difficult service conditions have been existing all along, the arrears must be paid wef January 1 2006, as in case of other recommendations of the Pay Commission.
(c) Depressed Pay Scales and Restoration of Status of Officers: In order to restore parity, the recommendations are (i) ideally, the rank pay should be restored or alternatively the grade pay be linked to the length of service equivalent to that of the IAS, since the promotions in the services are much slower and fewer. (ii) with a view to protect the status equations of Lt Generals, they should be above DsG of Police forces and be equivalent to that of the five DsG of the PMFs and remain in Article 24 of the Warrant of Precedence and lastly (iii) the status equations finalized in the Fifth Pay Commission report must be maintained in all the ranks.
(d) Introduction of Running Pay Band and Adverse Impact on Junior and Middle Piece Officers: To offset the disadvantages of virtually no benefits to junior and middle level officers and also the factor of much delayed-cum-fewer promotions, an additional pay band be introduced. There should, thus, be two pay bands; one for Lt to Lt Cols and second for Colonels to Brigadiers with suitable raise linked to the length of service.
(e) Protection of Pension for Past Retirees: Fixation of pension scale for the past retirees be done in a manner that their interests are protected and they get raise in their pensions to the tune of minimum 30 percent.
(f) Group of Ministers: It is recommended that a GOM be appointed to examine the grievances of the Services. Till the time, their recommendations are finalized, the Pay Commission Report for the Services be held up.
Conclusion
Sir, you yourself hail from a state, which has traditionally produced soldiers. You would have often wondered, as to why a supremely fit jawan/JCO who retires at the young age of 42-48, ages and grows old so fast. It is because he has no resources to fall back upon to ensure a decent living for his family after his early retirement. This problem gets further accentuated with the constraints of even poor farming conditions. Why should a soldier retire at this early age (other services serve upto 60 years) and why this man who has served the Nation so valiantly not be given a second career by way of 'lateral transfer', which alas will never come about.
The service conditions have become even tougher and more risk prone today than what they were when we joined the service in 1962, because of the pressures of 'insurgency'. Insurgency poses nearly as much physical danger as a war. A soldier is thus exposed to constant risks and yet he retains the motivation to build a 'fence of 650 km length at varying altitudes upto 14000 ft' in six to nine months flat, to successfully defeat the infiltration. The foreign armies are studying the underlying reasons of such a high level of motivation and dedication.
In the Indian Armed Forces, a jawan/officer serves almost every alternate tenure of three years in the insurgency environment, whereas all other armies in the world are not being able to sustain even one 'nine months' tenure. Officers and their jawans do it for the izzat (honour) but this raison d'etre is now getting deflated with such Pay Commission reports, and all their expectations are being shattered.
I strongly urge you Sir, to appoint a 'GOM' for the armed forces and withhold the implementation of this report, for the defence services, till the justice is given to them. The armed forces cannot sustain any continuation of poor intake of officers and also current wave of resignation requests. Already, the Indian Military Academy and OTA, Chennai are reporting a drop in the intake by over 70 per cent. In case of jawans, this recruitment trend will continue yet for a few more years, but their level of motivation will drop. The country cannot afford either of these situations.
N C Vij
LET DOWN BY SIXTH PAY COMMISSION
Omission & Commission
Unfortunately the Sixth Pay Commission has not been able to address to the perennial problems of the services-inspite of giving some financial benefits which appear bloated on careful analysis. This has happened due to the absence of any member from the services which constitute 40% of the central government employees. Perhaps such a dispensation had been intentional to deny to the services their due as always?
Comparing the Comparables
Comparisons are odious & should not be made unless there is common denominator. Therefore equating service officers with others having civil interface is based on wrong premises as evident from long que for premature retirement only amongst defence officers & total absence on the other side. While most of the service personnel have to work post retirement to keep the wolf away-there is seldom even naib- tahsildars that any such have such need. Has this reality of modern India engaged the attention of the Pay Commission? This Why so has to considered as Factor Y into any new pay dispensation.
Should the salary of a pilot flying ancient single engine MiG -21 from desert airfields in the hot afternoons have some semblance with that of a commercial pilot cruising latest multi -engine Airbus with co-pilot, state of the art autopilot & latest navigational aids? Similarly the pay of captain of an old aircraft carrier with unfaithful Harriers now not onboard must have some correspondence with the Captain of maritime ship who earn upward of a few lacs a month. And what should be the salary of an Air Commodore commanding n airbase base with one fighter squadrons & two transport squadrons doing day & night flying –carrying out air supply missions to far flung border outposts on the roof of Himalaya- besides supporting civil air traffic-in addition to defending the air space over an entire region? By that count where should the Corps Commander of J&K fit in? There is no use equating a brigadier with a DIG or the Chief of Air Staff to the Cabinet Secretary. Comparing a fighter pilot with commercial pilot, an engineer in the armed forces with another manger in say L&T would seem more logical than equating a Lt Gen with a Secretary to the GOI?
Century for Pensioners
Defence pensioners have been left high & dry once again. One rank one pension or restoration of full pension after 12 years has been thrown out. Increasing pension at 80, 90 & 100 years is symbolism at its best or double century which never was. The number of centurion pensioners at best could be in two figures at All India level? What about lowering the age bar by 10 years at every stage -starting at 70 years with full restoration & 20% hike?
With faster promotion these days & upping at least by one rank due to abolition of the 2 Lt rank- the pension of old timers could have been fixed appropriately instead of unnecessary mathematical tabulation. An old timer Lt Col can be given pension applicable to the present day Colonel. Major Dhanapalan anomaly of mass scale deprivation of an entire class of service officers which really fixed them during the fourth CPC has been just carried over.
Interim Measure
Now that every one in defence is unhappy about the recommendations -best should be to ignore it & give reasonable interim relief say @ 50 % of the basic plus dearness pay or 20000/- for officers & 50% of pay & dearness pay or Rs 8,000/- for the soldiers –whichever be higher as on 01 Jan 2006. The interim relief can be half of this amount for pensioners.
Defence Commission
The way there has been chorus against the Sixth CPC & even the service chiefs are unhappy about it-the Govt would do well to constitute a new Commission with adequate members from armed forces –both serving & retired –to focus on the problems faced by the services in holistic manner. We need a person who can be Shri Krishna & guide the nation in how to bring up the sagging morale of the defence forces as manifest from unacceptable number of vacant berths in the services. Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC best fits the bill. May be the Five Star living legend of our times can do justice where Sixth CPC could not go beyond superfluous touches in the passing.
Areas of Concern
The Defence Commission could look into the following problems-
In depth Analysis. Candid study should be made why services has become the last choice of our young men these days. Apart from low pay, unsettled life and remote chances of going beyond Colonel’s rank – the services have lost the glory & pride it used to command once upon a time. The service people must get place in the present day money driven society. Barring few exceptions the wards of service personnel are shunning services. Therefore there must be something drastically wrong which needs to identified & remedied.
Pay & Perks. The pay should get multiplied by Factor X to take into account-Hard service conditions, being on duty 24 hours a day, risk involved, unsettled & separated life, need to have two establishments etc. Then there could be Factor Y multiplier as above. Apart from this there could incentives like Income & Municipal tax breaks. Like agricultural income, the services pay & pension can be taken out of IT net to salute the soldier?
Service Conditions. There is urgent need to improve service conditions like-accommodation, clothing, ration, transportation, number of postings, education facilities & opportunity for the spouse to work in the same station.
Younger Services . Human factors involved in retiring soldiers at an age when they are not young enough to pick up the threads of an entirely a new profession or old enough to idle at home on meager pension be studied & resolved. Soldiers can be given some land under ceiling in cities or along the borders to bolster security besides helping them out? If land could be given to multinationals –it could be as well those who are keeping us united in the face of so much adverse conditions?
Lateral Induction. The scope of lateral entry needs to be enlarged to include professionals like airmen from technical trades who can be issued Basic Aircraft Maintenance Engg License (BAMEL) by the service instead of going through the DGCA loop. It would be quite interesting to note that most of the instructors in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering schools training aspirants for BAMEL- have retired airmen as instructors. Those who have spent an entire lifetime in servicing military aircraft like AN-32, Gajraj, Boeings in VIP Squadron or the Mirage-2000 would require DGCA certificate even to put chocks or refuel an airliner! Similar arrangements also need to be made for the service pilots for issue of Commercial Pilot License by the services. The gaps in civil requirements can be filled up by in-house pre-release training by the services. To keep the services young there could be lateral induction in IAS/IPS also from the defence forces.
University Diplomas. There are lots of other trades in the three services which can be useful in civil sector provided there is recognized certification. The retiring soldiers can be issued proper degree or diploma certificates based on trade tests/ service courses by tie up with Universities of repute.
We owe it to them? Retired soldiers are great human resource asset of our nation & must be dovetailed into the economy for growth. They can also be brand ambassadors of the services more than futile ad campaigns –only if they are not forgotten as these days. The Sainik Boards can be put under dynamic senior retired generals- who can really look after the welfare of retired people. There could be surplus land allotment to the retiring soldiers & the state governments too can do their bit by earmarking plot for the serving & retired defence persons. It was long ago in the Sixties when S Partap Singh Kairon – showed such empathy for the service personnel.
Paradise Lost. Problems we all have been loath to discuss like restoration of lost glory & protocol apart from attractive pay package to attract bright young men to the profession of soldiering once again needs to be addressed by the proposed defence commission. The bottom line is that the armed forces are short of 25% officers & cradles of leadership both at National Defence Academy & Indian Military Academy are half empty.
Safeguarding Freedom
If we have to safeguard our independence- gained just six decades back after centuries of subjugation-even under slave dynasty, there in need to make services once again preferred career destination for intelligent young men of courage & conviction who can fire straight from the gun. The recent defence budget of merely 1.98 % of the GDP has already put us in the danger zone. In the present uncertain geo-political situations, unrest in Tibet & Chinese postures in Arunachal Pradesh, hostile neighbor hood, possible disruptions by various terror groups, naxalism & immature divides amongst people- the armed forces remain the only hope to keep us united. This hope must be kept alive at all costs.
Setting Example
Once upon a time, even the scions of royalty used to deem it a great honor to serve in the armed forces. To understand what it means to defend the nation our leaders must make it a matter of pride to have at least one of their sons or daughters in the armed forces to serve the nation instead of straightway making them members of the legislatures. They can take heart from Prince Harry of Britain who came back safe from the military stint in Afghanistan-undoubtedly one of the most dangerous place on earth,
Unfortunately the Sixth Pay Commission has not been able to address to the perennial problems of the services-inspite of giving some financial benefits which appear bloated on careful analysis. This has happened due to the absence of any member from the services which constitute 40% of the central government employees. Perhaps such a dispensation had been intentional to deny to the services their due as always?
Comparing the Comparables
Comparisons are odious & should not be made unless there is common denominator. Therefore equating service officers with others having civil interface is based on wrong premises as evident from long que for premature retirement only amongst defence officers & total absence on the other side. While most of the service personnel have to work post retirement to keep the wolf away-there is seldom even naib- tahsildars that any such have such need. Has this reality of modern India engaged the attention of the Pay Commission? This Why so has to considered as Factor Y into any new pay dispensation.
Should the salary of a pilot flying ancient single engine MiG -21 from desert airfields in the hot afternoons have some semblance with that of a commercial pilot cruising latest multi -engine Airbus with co-pilot, state of the art autopilot & latest navigational aids? Similarly the pay of captain of an old aircraft carrier with unfaithful Harriers now not onboard must have some correspondence with the Captain of maritime ship who earn upward of a few lacs a month. And what should be the salary of an Air Commodore commanding n airbase base with one fighter squadrons & two transport squadrons doing day & night flying –carrying out air supply missions to far flung border outposts on the roof of Himalaya- besides supporting civil air traffic-in addition to defending the air space over an entire region? By that count where should the Corps Commander of J&K fit in? There is no use equating a brigadier with a DIG or the Chief of Air Staff to the Cabinet Secretary. Comparing a fighter pilot with commercial pilot, an engineer in the armed forces with another manger in say L&T would seem more logical than equating a Lt Gen with a Secretary to the GOI?
Century for Pensioners
Defence pensioners have been left high & dry once again. One rank one pension or restoration of full pension after 12 years has been thrown out. Increasing pension at 80, 90 & 100 years is symbolism at its best or double century which never was. The number of centurion pensioners at best could be in two figures at All India level? What about lowering the age bar by 10 years at every stage -starting at 70 years with full restoration & 20% hike?
With faster promotion these days & upping at least by one rank due to abolition of the 2 Lt rank- the pension of old timers could have been fixed appropriately instead of unnecessary mathematical tabulation. An old timer Lt Col can be given pension applicable to the present day Colonel. Major Dhanapalan anomaly of mass scale deprivation of an entire class of service officers which really fixed them during the fourth CPC has been just carried over.
Interim Measure
Now that every one in defence is unhappy about the recommendations -best should be to ignore it & give reasonable interim relief say @ 50 % of the basic plus dearness pay or 20000/- for officers & 50% of pay & dearness pay or Rs 8,000/- for the soldiers –whichever be higher as on 01 Jan 2006. The interim relief can be half of this amount for pensioners.
Defence Commission
The way there has been chorus against the Sixth CPC & even the service chiefs are unhappy about it-the Govt would do well to constitute a new Commission with adequate members from armed forces –both serving & retired –to focus on the problems faced by the services in holistic manner. We need a person who can be Shri Krishna & guide the nation in how to bring up the sagging morale of the defence forces as manifest from unacceptable number of vacant berths in the services. Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, DFC best fits the bill. May be the Five Star living legend of our times can do justice where Sixth CPC could not go beyond superfluous touches in the passing.
Areas of Concern
The Defence Commission could look into the following problems-
In depth Analysis. Candid study should be made why services has become the last choice of our young men these days. Apart from low pay, unsettled life and remote chances of going beyond Colonel’s rank – the services have lost the glory & pride it used to command once upon a time. The service people must get place in the present day money driven society. Barring few exceptions the wards of service personnel are shunning services. Therefore there must be something drastically wrong which needs to identified & remedied.
Pay & Perks. The pay should get multiplied by Factor X to take into account-Hard service conditions, being on duty 24 hours a day, risk involved, unsettled & separated life, need to have two establishments etc. Then there could be Factor Y multiplier as above. Apart from this there could incentives like Income & Municipal tax breaks. Like agricultural income, the services pay & pension can be taken out of IT net to salute the soldier?
Service Conditions. There is urgent need to improve service conditions like-accommodation, clothing, ration, transportation, number of postings, education facilities & opportunity for the spouse to work in the same station.
Younger Services . Human factors involved in retiring soldiers at an age when they are not young enough to pick up the threads of an entirely a new profession or old enough to idle at home on meager pension be studied & resolved. Soldiers can be given some land under ceiling in cities or along the borders to bolster security besides helping them out? If land could be given to multinationals –it could be as well those who are keeping us united in the face of so much adverse conditions?
Lateral Induction. The scope of lateral entry needs to be enlarged to include professionals like airmen from technical trades who can be issued Basic Aircraft Maintenance Engg License (BAMEL) by the service instead of going through the DGCA loop. It would be quite interesting to note that most of the instructors in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering schools training aspirants for BAMEL- have retired airmen as instructors. Those who have spent an entire lifetime in servicing military aircraft like AN-32, Gajraj, Boeings in VIP Squadron or the Mirage-2000 would require DGCA certificate even to put chocks or refuel an airliner! Similar arrangements also need to be made for the service pilots for issue of Commercial Pilot License by the services. The gaps in civil requirements can be filled up by in-house pre-release training by the services. To keep the services young there could be lateral induction in IAS/IPS also from the defence forces.
University Diplomas. There are lots of other trades in the three services which can be useful in civil sector provided there is recognized certification. The retiring soldiers can be issued proper degree or diploma certificates based on trade tests/ service courses by tie up with Universities of repute.
We owe it to them? Retired soldiers are great human resource asset of our nation & must be dovetailed into the economy for growth. They can also be brand ambassadors of the services more than futile ad campaigns –only if they are not forgotten as these days. The Sainik Boards can be put under dynamic senior retired generals- who can really look after the welfare of retired people. There could be surplus land allotment to the retiring soldiers & the state governments too can do their bit by earmarking plot for the serving & retired defence persons. It was long ago in the Sixties when S Partap Singh Kairon – showed such empathy for the service personnel.
Paradise Lost. Problems we all have been loath to discuss like restoration of lost glory & protocol apart from attractive pay package to attract bright young men to the profession of soldiering once again needs to be addressed by the proposed defence commission. The bottom line is that the armed forces are short of 25% officers & cradles of leadership both at National Defence Academy & Indian Military Academy are half empty.
Safeguarding Freedom
If we have to safeguard our independence- gained just six decades back after centuries of subjugation-even under slave dynasty, there in need to make services once again preferred career destination for intelligent young men of courage & conviction who can fire straight from the gun. The recent defence budget of merely 1.98 % of the GDP has already put us in the danger zone. In the present uncertain geo-political situations, unrest in Tibet & Chinese postures in Arunachal Pradesh, hostile neighbor hood, possible disruptions by various terror groups, naxalism & immature divides amongst people- the armed forces remain the only hope to keep us united. This hope must be kept alive at all costs.
Setting Example
Once upon a time, even the scions of royalty used to deem it a great honor to serve in the armed forces. To understand what it means to defend the nation our leaders must make it a matter of pride to have at least one of their sons or daughters in the armed forces to serve the nation instead of straightway making them members of the legislatures. They can take heart from Prince Harry of Britain who came back safe from the military stint in Afghanistan-undoubtedly one of the most dangerous place on earth,
Friday, April 25, 2008
A shattered army - Pay commission has ill-served the nation
THE Indian army, used here generically to include the navy and the air
force, has now reached the end of its tether, with the Sixth Pay
Commission's recommendations for the defence forces. The citizens of
our country have not really understood the magnitude of despair
amongst the rank and file of the army. There is great anger and a high
degree of frustration at every level, but particularly at the level of
the PBORs (personnel below officers' rank) and the junior and middle
level officers. Both constitute the 'cutting edge' of the defence
forces.
India has a hundred per cent volunteer army. Officers and men have
joined the army for a variety of reasons, the main ones being the
honour that comes by wearing the uniform; a desire to serve the nation
in the best way possible; family traditions; and of course, suitable
remunerations that are compatible with the highly turbulent conditions
of service.
Its ethos has been painfully nurtured by the hierarchy of the army for
the last 60 years, despite major provocations from many quarters,
especially the self-serving bureaucracy, which the country has to
unfortunately endure. The latter has consistently prevailed on the
political leadership and subtly instilled fear amongst them that the
army needs to be kept down, lest it also follow what militaries in the
immediate neighbourhood and in the extended region have done, in
usurping power by force.
This is despite the unflinching loyalty the army has displayed in even
the most difficult circumstances. It is surprising that our political
leadership, which is so astute in politicking, nurturing vote banks
and diffusing highly volatile situations of all types, has been unable
to see through this game of the bureaucrats. Or is it that they
deliberately do not want to understand it?
The institutions, structures, ethos and working environment built
painstakingly and prevailing in the army, ensures that all ranks fully
understand their duties, obligations and power-equations in a
democracy like ours. In simple terms, it means that the nation has
nothing to fear from the army. The earlier it is understood by the
political leadership and all other instruments of the state, the
better.
The defence forces came under the purview of pay commissions with the
Third Pay Commission and since then every pay commission, loaded as it
was by the bureaucracy, has worked very hard to ensure that there is a
gradual decline in the pay, emoluments and the status of all military
personnel.
All requests by the hierarchy of the defence forces to set up separate
pay commissions for the military have been studiously ignored and at
the behest of the bureaucracy, even a representative of the defence
forces has not been permitted to form part of any of the pay
commissions. This, when nearly 40 per cent of the government servants
under the purview of the pay commission are defence forces personnel!
That the defence forces have tolerated this skewed arrangement speaks
on one side of the perseverance, patience and discipline of the
defence forces and, on the other, the utter insensitivity of the
political leadership to the only institution that works effectively in
our country. The Sixth Pay Commission has of course taken the cake for
their utterly callous approach to the guardians of the nation.
There is no need to emphasise what has already been stated regarding
the highly adverse effect the recommendations of the pay commission
will have on the intake of officers in the defence forces, except to
state that every middle level serving officer I have talked to has
either already put in his papers or is planning to do so shortly.
The disastrous implications need not be amplified when it is well
known that our fighting units are already functioning at 50 per cent
strength of officers. The PBOR, unfortunately, do not have the option
of leaving the service, because they will end up with no jobs,
considering the present situation in the country of gross unemployment
and under-employment. However, in the long run, the impact of the
recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission on the PBOR is bound to be
a fall in standards of the recruits who will be willing to serve for
the peanuts thrown at them by the Commission.
The government's response to the large-scale resentment has been the
usual ploy of forming a committee! First, a committee of three
bureaucrats was formed, but it was the Railway Minister, at whose
behest an enlarged Review Committee has now been formed, while the
Minister of Defence only repeated homilies and soothing words, as he
had done in the past!
Even the Review Committee has no representative from the defence
forces, while the railways, the postal department and sundry others
not so well known, have found a place for themselves. So, we are back
to square one. This committee will repeat, ad nauseum, what the
Commission has stated, perhaps in more flowery language, except for
some minimal tinkering that will satisfy no one in the defence forces.
A continuation of such inadequate and delaying tactics will slowly
destroy a first rate army, which has served the nation with sacrifices
and élan and has saved the nation umpteen times in these last 60
years. The political leadership is either unable or unwilling to
ameliorate the genuine demands of the defence forces.
Under the circumstances, it may be best to disband the army and let
the bureaucracy become 'pseudo soldiers' and look after the security
of the nation. In the bargain, they will be able to further improve
their cadre too! If the reader discerns a sense of cynicism, déjà vu
and desperation, it is indeed intended. Sudden death would any day be
a more satisfactory arrangement. The noble "profession of arms" is
being turned into a "profession of alms"!
force, has now reached the end of its tether, with the Sixth Pay
Commission's recommendations for the defence forces. The citizens of
our country have not really understood the magnitude of despair
amongst the rank and file of the army. There is great anger and a high
degree of frustration at every level, but particularly at the level of
the PBORs (personnel below officers' rank) and the junior and middle
level officers. Both constitute the 'cutting edge' of the defence
forces.
India has a hundred per cent volunteer army. Officers and men have
joined the army for a variety of reasons, the main ones being the
honour that comes by wearing the uniform; a desire to serve the nation
in the best way possible; family traditions; and of course, suitable
remunerations that are compatible with the highly turbulent conditions
of service.
Its ethos has been painfully nurtured by the hierarchy of the army for
the last 60 years, despite major provocations from many quarters,
especially the self-serving bureaucracy, which the country has to
unfortunately endure. The latter has consistently prevailed on the
political leadership and subtly instilled fear amongst them that the
army needs to be kept down, lest it also follow what militaries in the
immediate neighbourhood and in the extended region have done, in
usurping power by force.
This is despite the unflinching loyalty the army has displayed in even
the most difficult circumstances. It is surprising that our political
leadership, which is so astute in politicking, nurturing vote banks
and diffusing highly volatile situations of all types, has been unable
to see through this game of the bureaucrats. Or is it that they
deliberately do not want to understand it?
The institutions, structures, ethos and working environment built
painstakingly and prevailing in the army, ensures that all ranks fully
understand their duties, obligations and power-equations in a
democracy like ours. In simple terms, it means that the nation has
nothing to fear from the army. The earlier it is understood by the
political leadership and all other instruments of the state, the
better.
The defence forces came under the purview of pay commissions with the
Third Pay Commission and since then every pay commission, loaded as it
was by the bureaucracy, has worked very hard to ensure that there is a
gradual decline in the pay, emoluments and the status of all military
personnel.
All requests by the hierarchy of the defence forces to set up separate
pay commissions for the military have been studiously ignored and at
the behest of the bureaucracy, even a representative of the defence
forces has not been permitted to form part of any of the pay
commissions. This, when nearly 40 per cent of the government servants
under the purview of the pay commission are defence forces personnel!
That the defence forces have tolerated this skewed arrangement speaks
on one side of the perseverance, patience and discipline of the
defence forces and, on the other, the utter insensitivity of the
political leadership to the only institution that works effectively in
our country. The Sixth Pay Commission has of course taken the cake for
their utterly callous approach to the guardians of the nation.
There is no need to emphasise what has already been stated regarding
the highly adverse effect the recommendations of the pay commission
will have on the intake of officers in the defence forces, except to
state that every middle level serving officer I have talked to has
either already put in his papers or is planning to do so shortly.
The disastrous implications need not be amplified when it is well
known that our fighting units are already functioning at 50 per cent
strength of officers. The PBOR, unfortunately, do not have the option
of leaving the service, because they will end up with no jobs,
considering the present situation in the country of gross unemployment
and under-employment. However, in the long run, the impact of the
recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission on the PBOR is bound to be
a fall in standards of the recruits who will be willing to serve for
the peanuts thrown at them by the Commission.
The government's response to the large-scale resentment has been the
usual ploy of forming a committee! First, a committee of three
bureaucrats was formed, but it was the Railway Minister, at whose
behest an enlarged Review Committee has now been formed, while the
Minister of Defence only repeated homilies and soothing words, as he
had done in the past!
Even the Review Committee has no representative from the defence
forces, while the railways, the postal department and sundry others
not so well known, have found a place for themselves. So, we are back
to square one. This committee will repeat, ad nauseum, what the
Commission has stated, perhaps in more flowery language, except for
some minimal tinkering that will satisfy no one in the defence forces.
A continuation of such inadequate and delaying tactics will slowly
destroy a first rate army, which has served the nation with sacrifices
and élan and has saved the nation umpteen times in these last 60
years. The political leadership is either unable or unwilling to
ameliorate the genuine demands of the defence forces.
Under the circumstances, it may be best to disband the army and let
the bureaucracy become 'pseudo soldiers' and look after the security
of the nation. In the bargain, they will be able to further improve
their cadre too! If the reader discerns a sense of cynicism, déjà vu
and desperation, it is indeed intended. Sudden death would any day be
a more satisfactory arrangement. The noble "profession of arms" is
being turned into a "profession of alms"!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
DDA eyeing Navy submarine for museum
So what if the Capital is thousands of miles away from the sea? If the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has its way, Delhiites will soon have an added attraction on their must-see list in the form of a submarine. The Indian Navy has offered DDA one of the two Russian-made Foxtrot submarines it plans to decommission soon. The idea is to use the mammoth seacraft - 92 metres in length - to create a submarine museum which will be an educational and tourist attraction in the run-up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Having decided in principle to accept the Navy's offer, DDA is now working on the modalities of who would bear the cost of transporting the submarine from its present base in Vishakhapatnam. A DDA team recently visited the southern port town where the country's first submarine museum was set up by the development authority there. The museum today is a major tourist attraction and boasts of a decommissioned submarine. The idea is that instead of letting decommissioned submarines rot as scrap, it is better to use them for educational purposes.
DDA's director public relations Neemo Dhar told TOI that in principle DDA has decided to opt for the offer. "But first we want to work out the modalities of bringing the submarine to Delhi and the cost involved. Also the location where the craft will be placed too has to be finalised," Dhar said.
According to senior officials, DDA has carried out inspections of various green spaces under its purview like the Millennium Park, the Swarn Jayanti Park in Rohini and another location in Dwarka but as of now a large open space near the Delhi-Noida-Delhi flyover has emerged as a plausible option for setting up the mega museum. The location has another plus to its credit as it falls along the route of the yet to be built elevated road over the Barapulla drain, connecting the Games Village to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. If the submarine is located in the open space along this route then it will be visible to players who will use the stretch during the 2010 Games.
In the proposed museum, visitors will be introduced to the internal mechanisms of a submarine and it is likely that officials from the Navy will themselves be stationed there to impart technical information.
The Indian Navy acquired eight Foxtrot submarines between 1964 and 1974. Six of them have already been decommissioned. As of now the Navy has two of these sea crafts - INS Vela and INS Vagli - which are functional. One of these is likely to be decommissioned soon and would be the one to be handed over to the DDA for the museum. These submarines cost around Rs 75 crore and require a crew of 75, led by eight Naval officials.
The Indian Navy has 16 submarines as of now. These include 10 kilo class Russian submarines, four HDW submarines from Germany and two Foxtrot submarines.
Having decided in principle to accept the Navy's offer, DDA is now working on the modalities of who would bear the cost of transporting the submarine from its present base in Vishakhapatnam. A DDA team recently visited the southern port town where the country's first submarine museum was set up by the development authority there. The museum today is a major tourist attraction and boasts of a decommissioned submarine. The idea is that instead of letting decommissioned submarines rot as scrap, it is better to use them for educational purposes.
DDA's director public relations Neemo Dhar told TOI that in principle DDA has decided to opt for the offer. "But first we want to work out the modalities of bringing the submarine to Delhi and the cost involved. Also the location where the craft will be placed too has to be finalised," Dhar said.
According to senior officials, DDA has carried out inspections of various green spaces under its purview like the Millennium Park, the Swarn Jayanti Park in Rohini and another location in Dwarka but as of now a large open space near the Delhi-Noida-Delhi flyover has emerged as a plausible option for setting up the mega museum. The location has another plus to its credit as it falls along the route of the yet to be built elevated road over the Barapulla drain, connecting the Games Village to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. If the submarine is located in the open space along this route then it will be visible to players who will use the stretch during the 2010 Games.
In the proposed museum, visitors will be introduced to the internal mechanisms of a submarine and it is likely that officials from the Navy will themselves be stationed there to impart technical information.
The Indian Navy acquired eight Foxtrot submarines between 1964 and 1974. Six of them have already been decommissioned. As of now the Navy has two of these sea crafts - INS Vela and INS Vagli - which are functional. One of these is likely to be decommissioned soon and would be the one to be handed over to the DDA for the museum. These submarines cost around Rs 75 crore and require a crew of 75, led by eight Naval officials.
The Indian Navy has 16 submarines as of now. These include 10 kilo class Russian submarines, four HDW submarines from Germany and two Foxtrot submarines.
Armed forces: Too little, too late
Huge hikes for greenhorns will make the forces attractive but not enough to retain the flock. Half the army’s officer corps is still unhappy.
The armed forces hoped the Sixth Pay Commission would improve their attractiveness, increase their retainability and reduce the deficiency in the officer corps. These are three of the biggest problems the world’s second largest armed forces are grappling with and yet the report has addressed only the first problem.
A hike of over 60 per cent for young officers has somewhat levelled the playing field in the hunt for young talent and in reducing a shortage of nearly 12,000 young officers. However, a modest hike for mid-level officers like lt-colonels, colonels and brigadiers—from where the exodus is taking place—means nearly half the army’s officer corps feels left out.
A paltry pay hike for soldiers (they will get a military service pay of only Rs 1,000) is a reflection of how there is no shortage of aspirants for persons below officer rank. The new running pay band means the service chiefs, now treated on par with the cabinet secretary, will get huge pay hikes amounting to Rs 90,000 per month.
The commission has recommended a military service pay of Rs 6,000 per month for officers and lateral absorption of retired personnel of armed forces into the paramilitary forces (the armed forces retire their personnel earlier). However, the proposed pay hike will create fresh inequalities.
A young lieutenant now earning Rs 8,250 will receive Rs 25,760 or a pay hike of over 60 per cent. However, his commanding officer, a colonel with 19 years of service, will take home only Rs 44,140. The running pay band has also triggered angst because most of the armed forces’ personnel will continue to draw lower pay through their career. Almost all civil servants will reach the rank of joint secretary in 16-17 years service and remain in the higher pay band for a period of another 20 years. On the other hand, approximately 87 per cent of armed forces’ officers will never rise to the equivalent rank of major general.
The commission has recommended a significant improvement in terminal benefits—gratuity has been raised from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The underlying message to the armed forces is “come join us if you have it in you. Serve for 20 years and then go fend for yourselves”, says Major General Surjit Singh (retired).
The commission is silent on short service commissions, something critical for ensuring the army can fill in vacant slots and has shot down the one-rank-one pension scheme which figured in the UPA’s election manifesto and was meant to redress the imbalance between retired personnel. The forecast is that after the initial euphoria, old problems will return to haunt the armed forces
The armed forces hoped the Sixth Pay Commission would improve their attractiveness, increase their retainability and reduce the deficiency in the officer corps. These are three of the biggest problems the world’s second largest armed forces are grappling with and yet the report has addressed only the first problem.
A hike of over 60 per cent for young officers has somewhat levelled the playing field in the hunt for young talent and in reducing a shortage of nearly 12,000 young officers. However, a modest hike for mid-level officers like lt-colonels, colonels and brigadiers—from where the exodus is taking place—means nearly half the army’s officer corps feels left out.
A paltry pay hike for soldiers (they will get a military service pay of only Rs 1,000) is a reflection of how there is no shortage of aspirants for persons below officer rank. The new running pay band means the service chiefs, now treated on par with the cabinet secretary, will get huge pay hikes amounting to Rs 90,000 per month.
The commission has recommended a military service pay of Rs 6,000 per month for officers and lateral absorption of retired personnel of armed forces into the paramilitary forces (the armed forces retire their personnel earlier). However, the proposed pay hike will create fresh inequalities.
A young lieutenant now earning Rs 8,250 will receive Rs 25,760 or a pay hike of over 60 per cent. However, his commanding officer, a colonel with 19 years of service, will take home only Rs 44,140. The running pay band has also triggered angst because most of the armed forces’ personnel will continue to draw lower pay through their career. Almost all civil servants will reach the rank of joint secretary in 16-17 years service and remain in the higher pay band for a period of another 20 years. On the other hand, approximately 87 per cent of armed forces’ officers will never rise to the equivalent rank of major general.
The commission has recommended a significant improvement in terminal benefits—gratuity has been raised from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The underlying message to the armed forces is “come join us if you have it in you. Serve for 20 years and then go fend for yourselves”, says Major General Surjit Singh (retired).
The commission is silent on short service commissions, something critical for ensuring the army can fill in vacant slots and has shot down the one-rank-one pension scheme which figured in the UPA’s election manifesto and was meant to redress the imbalance between retired personnel. The forecast is that after the initial euphoria, old problems will return to haunt the armed forces
Friday, April 11, 2008
to the editor
Dear Editor,
1. This in reference to the article carried in your newspaper, New Delhi
Edition, 30 Mar 2008 : Cost to Govt 4 Times the salary on paper. (Article
attached).
2. I think the article is totally misleading and will spread
misinformation amongst the masses! How has Ashish Sinha and XLRI Jamshedpur
arrived at the conclusion that Cost to Government (CTG) of Armed Forces
officers is 4.5 times of the salary is baffling. The conclusion is
scandalous, blasphemous and in poor taste! Ironically, these are the same
arguments which have been presented in the VI Pay Commission report while
fixing the salaries of defence Forces officers. Let me decimate these so
called 'intangibles' given by Ashish Sinha and possibly XLRI Jamshedpur in
support of this conclusion one by one.
3. Housing : Where are these 'sprawling bungalows' in which the defence
officers are supposedly living. Being an Army Wife of an officer who has
had an unblemished 31 years career in the Army so far and who has not done
so badly, I have never ever lived in any of these sprawling bungalows. We
have been always been allotted dilapidated flats, crumbling at the seams
and the houses and the colonies represent Bombay Chawls. Mostly even this
sub standard accommodation is not available and one has to make do with
temporary arrangements ranging from a single room in a crumbling British
era building, to a lower class of accommodation till one finally gets the
authorised accommodation (Mind you it is 1500 square feet and not 3500
square feet as stated by the VI pay commission in its report). If one gets
authorised scale of accommodation at all before one gets posted out. All
this in the same station involving two to three shiftings in a two years
tenure. The houses are poorly constructed to begin with and are maintained
by an organisation called MES (Has XLRI interacted with MES??). The icing
on the cake is provided by MES by simultaneously charging rent for all the
accommodations (once occupied by you in this shifting process). It is often
very late that one realises that one is supposedly occupying so many
accommodations simultaneously on paper and being charged for them!!! The
sorting out process which involves another such organisation as the MES,
gives one a real taste of the bureaucratic process!!! So much for the
sprawling bungalows!!!!
4. CSD : What is available in the CSD and how much of these items does
one buy monthly? The total items purchased per month do not cost more than
Rs 600/- to 700/- and the saving accrued is not more than Rs 200/- per
month i.e. if one discounts the effort involved to get to the CSD (i.e.
when it is open) provided the required item is available and finally the
quality is good and competitive brands and contemporary brands are
available. With the retail revolution now taking place in the country, most
of the times better stuff is available in the market at lesser or same
rates and then these can be bought at 11.00 p.m at night!! In my entire
life as an army wife (25 years), I do not think we have saved more than Rs
70,000/- by buying things from CSD. This includes purchase of a car!!! So
much for CSD contributing to 4.5 times CTG!!!
5. House Building Advance : Please tell XLRI Jamshedpur and Ashish Sinha
to publish factual details of total housing loans taken by Army Officers
from private banks (HDFC, ICICI) vis-à-vis the government loan. The
details will be eye opening!! Haat kangan ko arsi kya, parhe likhe ko
pharsi kya!!! Had these Govt loans been so easily available and so
lucrative, 90% loans would not be taken by officers from private banks!!!
6. 90 Days Leave : You need leave when you serve away from families. Let
Ashish Sinha do a stint in a field area and probably then he'll start
campaigning for even more leave for soldiers. Secondly, which soldier gets
full quota of leave? Lastly, do not private companies give all expenses
paid holidays to their employees? Any such parallel in a govt job?
7. Travel Passes : Need for travel arises only because one serves away
from home. Even then, the annual saving on account of subsidised travel by
any average army family (including travel not necessitated by service
conditions and for personal purposes alone) cannot exceed Rs 4-5 K
annually. Mind you, this figure too is on the higher side!!
8. I guess it has become rather fashionable to talk about the abnormal
privileges being enjoyed by defence services. Some other so called perks
have not been touched upon in your article hence I need not elaborate on
those and make efforts to decimate them too. But I assure you that they too
are all a fallacy and are easily torn to shreds.
9. Finally, I have one suggestion to make to the powers that be and to
those who are responsible for perpetrating this fallacy that an army
officer's CTG is 4.5 times his salary – please withdraw all such
intangibles {CSD, govt houses (ramshackles), free rations, form D and
warrants, 50% air travel concession (who travels and when??) orderlies etc
etc!!} and pay us 4.5 times of what has been proposed by the VI pay
commission!!! Acceptable? I am sure I am voicing the opinion of bulk of the
middle rung officers of the Army!
10. Please do publish our sheer disappointment with your esteemed
newspaper for carrying such blasphemous articles!!
11. JAI HIND!!
1. This in reference to the article carried in your newspaper, New Delhi
Edition, 30 Mar 2008 : Cost to Govt 4 Times the salary on paper. (Article
attached).
2. I think the article is totally misleading and will spread
misinformation amongst the masses! How has Ashish Sinha and XLRI Jamshedpur
arrived at the conclusion that Cost to Government (CTG) of Armed Forces
officers is 4.5 times of the salary is baffling. The conclusion is
scandalous, blasphemous and in poor taste! Ironically, these are the same
arguments which have been presented in the VI Pay Commission report while
fixing the salaries of defence Forces officers. Let me decimate these so
called 'intangibles' given by Ashish Sinha and possibly XLRI Jamshedpur in
support of this conclusion one by one.
3. Housing : Where are these 'sprawling bungalows' in which the defence
officers are supposedly living. Being an Army Wife of an officer who has
had an unblemished 31 years career in the Army so far and who has not done
so badly, I have never ever lived in any of these sprawling bungalows. We
have been always been allotted dilapidated flats, crumbling at the seams
and the houses and the colonies represent Bombay Chawls. Mostly even this
sub standard accommodation is not available and one has to make do with
temporary arrangements ranging from a single room in a crumbling British
era building, to a lower class of accommodation till one finally gets the
authorised accommodation (Mind you it is 1500 square feet and not 3500
square feet as stated by the VI pay commission in its report). If one gets
authorised scale of accommodation at all before one gets posted out. All
this in the same station involving two to three shiftings in a two years
tenure. The houses are poorly constructed to begin with and are maintained
by an organisation called MES (Has XLRI interacted with MES??). The icing
on the cake is provided by MES by simultaneously charging rent for all the
accommodations (once occupied by you in this shifting process). It is often
very late that one realises that one is supposedly occupying so many
accommodations simultaneously on paper and being charged for them!!! The
sorting out process which involves another such organisation as the MES,
gives one a real taste of the bureaucratic process!!! So much for the
sprawling bungalows!!!!
4. CSD : What is available in the CSD and how much of these items does
one buy monthly? The total items purchased per month do not cost more than
Rs 600/- to 700/- and the saving accrued is not more than Rs 200/- per
month i.e. if one discounts the effort involved to get to the CSD (i.e.
when it is open) provided the required item is available and finally the
quality is good and competitive brands and contemporary brands are
available. With the retail revolution now taking place in the country, most
of the times better stuff is available in the market at lesser or same
rates and then these can be bought at 11.00 p.m at night!! In my entire
life as an army wife (25 years), I do not think we have saved more than Rs
70,000/- by buying things from CSD. This includes purchase of a car!!! So
much for CSD contributing to 4.5 times CTG!!!
5. House Building Advance : Please tell XLRI Jamshedpur and Ashish Sinha
to publish factual details of total housing loans taken by Army Officers
from private banks (HDFC, ICICI) vis-à-vis the government loan. The
details will be eye opening!! Haat kangan ko arsi kya, parhe likhe ko
pharsi kya!!! Had these Govt loans been so easily available and so
lucrative, 90% loans would not be taken by officers from private banks!!!
6. 90 Days Leave : You need leave when you serve away from families. Let
Ashish Sinha do a stint in a field area and probably then he'll start
campaigning for even more leave for soldiers. Secondly, which soldier gets
full quota of leave? Lastly, do not private companies give all expenses
paid holidays to their employees? Any such parallel in a govt job?
7. Travel Passes : Need for travel arises only because one serves away
from home. Even then, the annual saving on account of subsidised travel by
any average army family (including travel not necessitated by service
conditions and for personal purposes alone) cannot exceed Rs 4-5 K
annually. Mind you, this figure too is on the higher side!!
8. I guess it has become rather fashionable to talk about the abnormal
privileges being enjoyed by defence services. Some other so called perks
have not been touched upon in your article hence I need not elaborate on
those and make efforts to decimate them too. But I assure you that they too
are all a fallacy and are easily torn to shreds.
9. Finally, I have one suggestion to make to the powers that be and to
those who are responsible for perpetrating this fallacy that an army
officer's CTG is 4.5 times his salary – please withdraw all such
intangibles {CSD, govt houses (ramshackles), free rations, form D and
warrants, 50% air travel concession (who travels and when??) orderlies etc
etc!!} and pay us 4.5 times of what has been proposed by the VI pay
commission!!! Acceptable? I am sure I am voicing the opinion of bulk of the
middle rung officers of the Army!
10. Please do publish our sheer disappointment with your esteemed
newspaper for carrying such blasphemous articles!!
11. JAI HIND!!
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