Tuesday, October 1, 2013

7TH CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION AND SEPARATE MILITARY PAY COMMISSION

7TH CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION AND SEPARATE MILITARY PAY COMMISSION
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Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM,
Offg Chairman IESM,
Mob: +919312404269,0124-4110570
E Mail ID: satbirsm@gmail.com

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Dated: 28 Sep 2013

Dr Manmohan Singh
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
152, South Block, New Delhi -110011

7TH CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION AND SEPARATE MILITARY PAY COMMISSION

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India

1. The Central Government has announced that Prime Minister has approved the constitution of the Seventh Central Pay Commission. We Defence veterans are heartened that a separate Military Pay Commission is likely to be set up in line with the commitments made by the Government in 2009. 

2. We are however worried that this, much needed refinement would be typically hijacked in implementation, by the Civil services Bureaucracy. In fact newspaper reports (Quote TOI report dated 26 Sep 2013)--Defence ministry officials on Wednesday acknowledged that “everybody had agreed’’ that there will be no separate pay commission for the armed forces but held that the “modalities’’ on how to give representation to the armed forces in the seventh CPC would be decided at a later stage) already indicate the intention of the MOD officials to scuttle a separate Military Pay Commission. We therefore demand that: 

(a) The Military Pay Commission (MPC) be headed and staffed entirely by members serving and retired- of the Defence Forces. 

(b) Over the nearly seven decades since independence the economic status and relative standing of the Defence Forces personnel in relation to their counterparts in the Civil Services has progressively been brought down; mostly through translational anomalies introduced in issue of implementing instructions by the Civil Services personnel. To guard against this, it is suggested that the MPC be additionally tasked with the entire exercise of revision, including issue of implementing instructions consequent to the approval of the MPC recommendations.

(c) To compensate the Defence personnel for their unusual life full of hardships and early retirement, and to make military service an attractive career, there is need to legislate that their pay would be guarded to have edge over their counterparts in Civil Services, for relative years in service, at EACH stage. The other countries of the world package their Defence personnel 15 -20 percent higher than their Civilian Counterparts.

3. We also strongly recommend that the Chairman of MPC and CPC should be common. This will ensure that Chairman is fully in picture about the demands and requirements of both sides so that there is no discrimination. Also while some bureaucrat members from MoD and MoF be part of the MPC, there must be a senior Military representative on the CPC who can co-ordinate with the service HQs. 

4. We hope the above will be truly integrated in the orders for the 7th CPC as and when it is issued. 

With regards,

Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM,
Offg Chairman IESM,
Mob: +919312404269,0124-4110570
E Mail ID: satbirsm@gmail.com

Copy to:-

Shri AK Antony, 

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, 

Ministry of Defence, 

New Delhi-110011

General Bikram Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC Chief of the Army Staff.
Integrated HQs of Armed Forces (Army) South Block, New Delhi-110011.

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM, ADC Chief of the Naval Staff Integrated HQs of Armed Forces (Navy), South Block, New Delhi-110011.

Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, PVSM, AVSM, VM.
Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of the Air Staff. Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi 110011.