Military & Aerospace

Career in the Military: imperatives of attracting right material
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Issue Vol 26.1 Jan-Mar 2011 | Date : 04 Apr , 2011

At the time of independence an army man drew from 75 to 80 percent of last pay drawn as pension due to the X factor. Now all of it stands reversed. Civil servants retire at the age of 60, which gets them 6 to 8 additional increments in pay compared to those in the military. 85 percent military men who retire at the age of 35/36 are disadvantaged the most. Converting this grossly unfair dispensation into monetary terms (basing on only the 6th CPC scales of pay etc) leaves one aghast at the unfair deal being meted out to our soldiers.

IDR_subscriptionWhen a soldier, after being retired at the age of 35/36, reaches the age of 60 years, his pay during service and subsequent pension is short by Rs 33,3 lakhs when compared with his equal in the civil service at age 60. This figure at age 70 is Rs 42.760 lakhs. A soldier retiring at age 35 years would live through three to four CPCs and suffer their dispensations for retirees. Whereas his counter part in the civil will not only continue to benefit from successive CPCs while still in service for an additional 25 years, but on retirement will be effected by just one CPC, assuming 70 years as the average life expectancy. Earlier there was the condition of 33 years service to earn full pension, which at one stroke debarred almost 90 percent of military men from earning their full pension.At this point it may be in order to briefly recall the manner in which the government has handled the issue of Pay Commissions as they related to the defence services. The services constitute nearly 40 percent of the central government employees: their officers forming the largest officer cadre amongst the central services. Consequently better part of the exertions of the Pay Commission ought to relate to their case.

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The Fifth Pay Commission report runs into over 2100 pages, in three volumes, out which, just 50 pages pertain to the case of defence forces. The commission assembled a staff of nearly 150 officers to assist it in working out the details of pay, allowances, etc of central government employees and prepare the report. It took officers from Postal Department, Forest Service, BSF etc for this task, but none from the defence services. The committee of secretaries constituted to review the recommendations of this Pay Commission took an officer from the police on the committee but none from the defence services. Besides much else this Pay Commission gave a brigadier more pension than a Maj Gen: this anomaly, the government of India continues to contest to this day in the Supreme Court.

Gen OP Malhotra as Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, in a note to the Defence Minister in 1981, expressed serious concern at the long pending issue of warrant of precedence”¦

The earlier Pay Commissions were no better. The Post War Committee, ostensibly to rationalize the pay structure of the armed forces, linked it to that of the civil services. This came to be known as the New Pay Code, which as ‘divide and rule policy’ was not applied to the King’s Commissioned Officers, (KCIOs:) ostensibly to buy their silence. They formed the top brass of the army and could or could have raised objections to this new scheme to do down the military. In the case of those below commissioned rank pay was dropped by one third, but given a princely sum of Rs 5 as compensation for the X factor but no such relief was offered to the officers.

Surprisingly the case of defence services was not looked into by the First Pay Commission, but by a departmental committee of the MoD Same practice was followed at the time of Second Pay Commission. It is the Third Pay Commission which was, for the first time entrusted with the task of determining the pay and allowances of armed forces personnel. However the MoD came up with the most preposterous and absurd contention that the, ‘requirement of discipline in the armed forces does not permit them to put their case direct to the Pay Commission.’

Further the Pay Commission was not required to go into the service conditions (X factor) of defence personnel but was required to take these as, ‘given.’ Equally unbelievable is the fact that neither the military nor the Pay Commission objected to this absurd and untenable position of the MoD. This methodology resulted in the creeping back of the, ‘all inclusive,’ concept with the attendant disadvantages and washing away of the correctives that had been brought in to soften the, ‘all inclusive’ character of the pay structure.

For the purpose of pension, defence personnel remained equated with civilian employees, consequently condition of 33 years of service to earn full pension stayed.

The Third Pay Commission after examination of the advantages and disadvantages of military service came up with the most incredulous and absurd conclusion that advantages outweigh disadvantages! Truncated careers, extremely limited promotions, long separations from families, limited family accommodation in peace stations, hard living conditions in uncongenial and difficult areas, risk to life and limb and a hundred other travails of military life, acknowledged the world over, were seem as great benefits of military career. In ever democracy in the world these travails are recognized and termed as ‘X factor.’ and fully compensated through pay, allowances, perks and pension and given relief in income tax etc, but not in India.

Through a concerted efforts of the three service chiefs (in fact at the threat of resignation!) the Fourth Pay Commission accepted the grant of running pay band’ and rank pay up to the rank of Brigadier. However, due to mischief on the part of MoD, the rank pay was deducted from the basic pay and some twenty five years later the surviving military officers are still fighting this case which, as expected, is bitterly contested by the MoD in the Supreme Court.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Lt Gen Harwant Singh

Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff. He also commanded a corps in J&K.

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2 thoughts on “Career in the Military: imperatives of attracting right material

  1. THE ARMED FORCES ARE DESIGNED INHERRANTLY WITH DOUBLE STANDARDS FOR PERSONNEL RIGHTS OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN WHO VOLUNTEER TO SERVRE THEM . WHILST NO ONE WOULD GRUDGE THE PERKS AND PELF OF THE CINC ARMY CDRS AND CHIEFS WHO DRAW OROP AND FIXED PENSIONS LIKE SENIOR BABUS AND MANTRIES , THE BULK OF OFFICERS ARE TREATED LIKE SCHEDULED CASTES AND TRIBES WITH THREE CLASSES OF LTGENS AND BELOW INCLUDING RANKS GIVEN PEANUTS IN RETURN . THE CHETWOOD SLOGAN OF THE COUNTRY COMES FIRST THE WELFARE OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN COMES NEXT AND PERSONNAL COMFORTS LAST IS BLATENTLY BROKEN WHEN THE SENIOR RANKS THE CREME DE LA CREME TAKE OROP PENSIONS AND DEPRIVE THEIR OFFICERS AND MEN . MANY IGNORANT WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW THIS

  2. Ifthe nations politcans , bureucracy , businessclass have decided to disarm disown , dismember its own armed forces , akhand bharaat will remain no more . The sorry and sad state of affairs of service ranks , officers with the backbone broken leaves nothing for the nation to win in awar . With Isis , Alqueda , let and jihadis plenty galore , the internal insurgencies will ensure the nation will dismember itself .

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