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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Increment as a one time measure w.e.f 01 Jan 2006 : Orders for Defence Services issued by the Govt


As discussed earlier on the blog, the Ministry of Finance had issued a circular inter alia with the following provisions for civilian employees:


“…the President is pleased to decide that in relaxation of stipulation under Rule 10 of these Rules, those central government employees who were due to get their annual increment between February to June during 2006 may be granted one increment on 1.1 .2006 in the pre-revised pay scale as a one time measure and there after will get the next increment in the revised pay structure on 1.7.2006 as per Rule 10 of CCS(RP)Rules, 2008. The pay of the eligible employees may be re-fixed accordingly.”

As is the case in all pay and pensionary orders, the Defence and the Railway Ministries usually issue separate orders for defence and railway employees respectively.

The said Govt order has been issued this month by the Ministry of Defence and the same can be downloaded by clicking here.

The cumulative arrears of pay and pensioners (for those who retired thereafter) would not have to be re-calculated and released to affected personnel and pensioners.

I would request readers not to send me individual mails or queries on this subject since the  concerned letters are self-explanatory. Whatever needs to be discussed or thrashed out may be done in the 'comments' section of this blogpost.

31 comments:

PBOR said...

MoD took merely 5 months for the 'copy paste' work. well-done

Col Sanjay Verma(Retd) said...

In light of this,will the cumulative arrears of pay and pension have to be recalculated for those who retired thereafter??
Navdeep's comments are not very clear!!

jinjon said...

Why comments from NAVDEEP to clear all the air from all and sundry. A Colonel is expected to arrive at the conclusion through his own experience and expertise.

Ashim

Anonymous said...

Because the post says,it will not have to!!

Anonymous said...

@Jinjon- That is the standard of our Sr officers who have to intrect with Babus of Defence Ministry and get shockers like Rank Pay issue, Grade pays ,NFUs and many similar pay issues where they get foxed and in turn get nothing but feel that they have extracted a lot and finally get pet / the promotion from their superior officers who are of same calibre.Had Navdeep not been there ,army would have not got Ltcol's gd pay of 8000/= and many other anomolies of 6th Pay commission would have not come to notice.

Anonymous said...

@ jinjon.. your comment towards the Col is in poor taste. If you cannot help the retired people, at least do not try to snub them. Further, if you have had some problems with the Cols in the past and you could not voice your opinion then- this is neither the right place nor the right time.

Tukaram V Manerajurikar said...

Sir, After going through the Order/Circular it is seen that they should have given the abstracts of OM dated March, 2012 (for Civilians)underneath for easy implementation by the Defence. But MOD is MOD.What about the report of COS on Defence Personnel Pay and Pension anamolies ( to be submitted by 08.08.2012 not submitted till today?

Anonymous said...

FRIENDS CAN ANYONE PLZ TELL THIS POOR GUY THAT THAT IS SOME INCREASE IN PENSION IS EXPECTED FOR JCO'S RETIRED BEFORE 2006..

Anonymous said...

WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE FIRST COMMENTATOR ON THIS ISSUE TO CONGRATULATE MR. WALIA, UNDER SECY AND HIS TEAM FOR PROVING THEIR COMPETENCY BY BROODING OVER THE ISSUE FOR GOOD FIVE MONTHS MERELY FOR SENDING ACROSS SOMEONE ELSE'S BRAINWORK UNDER A ROUTINE NOTE TO THE EAGERLY AWAITING BENEFICIARIES NUMBERING IN VERY MANY LAKHS. AND THEN, THEY HAVE THE FACE TO FACE OTHERS ON SUFFERING SIDE. THEY GOT THE LADDOO MONTHS BACK AND IT WAS QUITE NATURAL FOR THEM TO FORGET ABOUT THOSE DEPENDENT ON THEIR MERCY. WHAT A PITY!!!!!!! MAY GOD STILL BLESS YOU ALL THERE AND GRANT BETTER SENSE AND WISDOM. THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR NOW. THANKS A TON MAJOR NAVDEEP SIR FOR THE EXCELLENT AND TIME BOUND UPDATES AS USUAL. YOU ARE THERE AND THINGS HAVE TO MOVE FOR CERTAIN, NOW OR LATER. SUCH IS YOUR PHILANTHROPIC APPROACH AND WE ARE PROUD OF YOU, SIR!

SL PARAMVIR said...

I am quite confused over this issue, as we(Our course) got commissioned on 07 Jan, but the increment is for those whose increment was due from Feb to Jun. What abt us?

amit said...

i thank the MoD at least in this case they have issued the ordrs within 6 months , lets see how cda takes to implement and credit the same. hope something has clicked in the MoD and for the other issues also they will b forthcoming as a whole with no misplaced sense of ego or pennypinching,
amit

Anonymous said...

Thanks aton Maj Navdeep for your valuable info. What about the lattest development of the committee which is supposed to submit its recommendations on 08.08.2012? What is the reaction from the three Chiefs after the committee failed to submit its recommendation? Will such negligence continue from the top bureaucrats as well as our own top brass? Its high time to pursue it strongly. I hope things will improve before its too costly for the nation.

Anonymous.

Anonymous said...

hi,
some update from PCDA(O) as came to know from some officer in Pune.
PCDA(O)has not yet received copy of the Government orders dated 01 August 2012 for increment for defence personnel though a copy was marked for PCDA(O) by the MOD. Also, they are yet to receive any instructions from CGDA. Mind u, the government letter marked most immediate. In 21st century, a letter which is available everywhere has not yet been receivd by PCDA(O). and even if it has been received by CGDA, they have not probably bothered to pass it on for reasons known to them. Otherwise, such a simple case awaited by defence services took 5 months and thereafter, like always, CGDA and PCDA(O) will probably ask for clarification on words'mutatis mundis' or something like this. So happy onam.

Anonymous said...

hi,
you got it all wrong... pcda(O) is waiting for the precious 'ink signed' copy...
regards

Roger said...

As someone researching the US military, I'm quite surprised by how liberally the Indian Army doles out ranks! For example, both Indian and US infantry companies have 125-130 troops, but the US company is commanded by a Captain and the Indian one by a Major! Similarly, US Colonels command Brigade Combat Teams (4-6 battalions or 3700-4200 men), whereas Indian Colonels often command battalions of 800-1000 men, which are always commanded by Lt Colonels in every NATO force! A US Armored battalion (also commanded by a Lt Col) has one more tank company than an Indian Armored Regiment commanded by a full Colonel!

I understand that you might have civilian employees who are getting paid more and you want to narrow the gap, but diluting your own military ranks seem like an exercise in futility. May be you should lobby for higher pay for lower ranks instead of making a Major do a Captain's job or a Colonel do a Lt Colonel's.

Finally, the US has an up-or-out system where the bottom 20% of each officer cohort is denied promotion and asked to leave from O-3 (Captain) on. This ensures only 51 officers make it to Lt Col out of a class of 100 2LT's and keeps the Army pyramidal structure strong. It works because the US has excellent veterans training and re-employment opportunities. You might be best off lobbying for these rather than ensuring that every man with a commission gets to become a field grade officer and stay one till he's ready for retirement, even if he is unfit for command.

Anonymous said...

This is reply to Roger. This rot of making senior ranks perform junior appointments was started by the IAS way back in the late 70s. As a result other services has to follow suit to keep parity in promotion prospects of all govt officers. Interestingly, as far as I know, the services were the last to follow and despite lowering all appointments by one rank, the services were grossly behind the promotion schedules of the IAS. Now comes the international arena. The apointments in the civil services are not always similar sounding and equivalent appointments in other countries is a matter of flexible understanding, except for senior appointments. On the other hand, this has placed the services in a very embarrasing situation when interacting with other Armies. The ranks are very visible and the appointments common across all armies.
It would do you well to realise that this is problem faced by the services and not the other way round.

Anonymous said...

@ Roger

Many thanks for your well illustrated response showing how AVSC cheapened and diluted Armed Forces rank structure, despite some of our very own ignoramus souls going gaga over AVSC. Military ranks now sound hollow, courtesy Babu Ajai Vikram Singh!

Anonymous said...

THERE SEEMS NOTHING DISASTROUS IN A MAJOR PERFORMING A CAPTAIN'S ROLE. DON'T WE KNOW THAT A DISTRICT COLLECTOR / DISTRICT SP CAN BE AN IAS/IPS OFFICER WITH FUNCTIONAL GRADE PAY RANGING FROM 6600 TO 8700. SIMILARLY, WE HAVE GEs FROM IDSE/MES IN GP 6600 AS WELL AS GP 7600. ALL THAT NEEDS TO BE ENSURED IS FULL PARITY AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ARMED FORCES AND CIVIL SERVICES. WE CAN KEEP SORTING OUT MISMATCHES IN EMPLOYABILITY OF OUR AF OFFICERS VIS A VIS THOSE OF US ARMED FORCES AFTERWARDS.

Anonymous said...

Going by the rate at which our service ranks are being degraded with each pay commission, by the time the 8th or 10th pay commission is over, our Generals and admirals would be equated with sub inspectors and majors and lt cols with head constables.

Harry said...

@ Anony above

" Nothing disastrous in a Maj performing Capt's role"

OK, but the reality is quite otherwise. It is ACTUALLY a Capt performing Capt's role BUT WEARING RANK BADGES of a Maj !!!! Little wonder then unlike Capt being STS equivalent earlier now a Maj has slid into that position, both pay and status wise. So is it an upgradation, really? Pls think it over.

Anonymous said...

@Harry

In Indian Army, since independence at least, a Major has been Coy Cdr. Even though the appt is now tenable on paper by Lt Col, on grnd 90% of coy cdrs are Major/ subalterns.

Also, why compare with the US when we have inherited British system, where a Col doesn't command anything and Brig commands bde.

Harry said...

Further to my last comment on a Capt performing Capt's duties wearing Maj's rank ...

If going by the current trend and aspirations, in future, if Brigs start commanding units and start getting paid at par with Dirs to GoI and CAPF Comdts, would even that scenario be considered an upgradation? Remember retd brigs would then be crying hoarse that they commanded bdes as brigs and their pension has now been reduced to that of COs. To any average joe that would seem plain dilution but for some worthies even that may constitute upgradation. ALAS...

Harry said...

@ Anony

"Maj's Coy Cdrs", ACCEPTED!

But why Lt Col's are NA in units for commanding coys is because they pick up rank at 13 yrs and start sporting red tabs at 14 plus (more applicable for premier arms than downtrodden sp arms and services) so where is the time to perform the role of coy cdrs? But the degraded status DOES not change anyway!

Roger said...

Anonymous above: Thanks for the clarification on the British system using Majors as Company Commanders. Point conceded. Both are relatively junior officers, with Majors performing staff roles (at max, be XO) at battalion HQ in the US Army instead of taking on a higher command and so the difference between these ranks is small (a la 2LT & LT) and their being interchangeable isn't much of an issue.

However, in no army in the world is a company commander interchangeable with a battalion commander, which is what the rank of Lt Col stands for around the world. The pyramid really gets steep here, as out of 6 company commanders and 4 staff officers per battalion, only 1 battalion commander & 2-3 brigade staff officers will ever be needed! This is why only approx 50% of company commanders in the US make Lt Col and the rest are discharged as Capt/Majors!

From what I've read in these comments and the blog, the Indian Army guarantees promotion of every man with a commission to Lt Col through nothing but time in service! This means you'll eventually end up with roughly 3-4 Lt Cols/ battalion if all officers were allowed to serve 20 years and all officers became Lt Col's in year 14!

IMHO, the Indian army should discharge the bottom 50% of its officers at 10 years of service (as Majors) and resettle them into lucrative public or private civilian careers when they are still 30-33 yrs of age and have 30 years to put into a new career. This way, senior ranks do not have to be degraded and only the best of the company commanders move up to command battalions. Wouldn't this also fix the massive shortage that the Indian Army is facing esp in Capt/Major roles because young men would rather serve for 10 years and then use the experience to earn well in lucrative private careers?

Also, interestingly, at the top end, the Indian military has shortchanged general officers by reserving 4 star rank only to the service chiefs. Commandant chiefs who have multiple corps or fleets under them deserve 4 star ranks, much like in NATO militaries.

Harry said...

nsuc 19@Roger

Your point about resettling and rehabilitating a good number of Majs after 10 yrs in civ careers is well meaning and is working well in the US as there are number of Green card aspirants (well qualified) from third world countries who want to take that route of serving a short time in the Mil and then moving on to pursue other interests (be it higher education or some profession) But in Indian context this system has not had much success as desired because of following major reasons:-

1. Limited Govt support and total lack of Services' say in Policy making.

2. Govt has even failed to bring in parallel absorption which otherwise would have made perfect economic sense as turf wars have succeeded in scuttling such a move.

3. Lack of general recognition of Servicemembers' contribution to the Nation building and thus a total apathy by the establishment.

4. Flawed and illogical HR policies of the Services itself make the task harder to achieve.

5. Mil career no longer coveted in India by the quality youth as continuous and persistent degradation has made it most unappealing, even amongst Govt jobs.

Anonymous said...

I accept that it is difficult to connect a Lt Col of Indian Army with that of any other, after AVSC. However that is only in terms of name and has been brought about over the years. First command of battalion to Col was given in 1984, abolishing 2Lt was done in 1996 and then making Lt Cols tenant coy cdr appt in 2004. This can be seen in retrospect as attempts to catch up with the civil services in order to get equality/ parity. However, the parity will remain a mirage, given the steep pyramid that IA in particular has.

What Roger has suggested, discharge 50% of officers at 10 years, should be an ideal way out of the quandary. With establishment of second OTA this should be achievable in terms of capability. However, extension of minimum SS liability to 10 yrs extendable up to 14 yrs is regressive and betrays lack of will.

In actual scenario, the short changing of officers extends to all the ranks because there is constant urge to compare with civil services. We are different but still we want to be same. What to do?

Roger said...

@Harry:

Thanks for describing the problem in India in detail. Very informative. One quick correction though - foreign citizens are not eligible for a commission in the US military (foreign enlisted are recruited, however.) You might be thinking of a similar setup for Commonwealth officers in the British forces. The US system works well because most Americans don't expect to be in one job for life and the military is a good starting point if you majored in a non-technical field and are sitting on $30k in student loans like most US graduates. After a 8 year stint (minimum service obligation for infantry officers used to be only 4 active + 4 reserve), you pick up leadership skills that will help a lot in private employment after or with top MBA/ law school admissions. Of course, college is cheap in India and with so many jobs in a growing economy, I suppose every Indian graduate can hope for a good salary without sacrificing the comforts of urban life, making even a short stint, if not a career, in the military a unappealing option.

Anonymous said...

Sir,
What about those who were promoted in Feb 06 and Retired Jun 07 Without getting the benefit of increament
In pension also.

SK Prakash said...

The IAF has recalculated this but not given Increment to all even course officers. Any rationale .... I do not see any exception clause in the letter.

MAJ ADITYA said...

ref the govt decision, will the employees who got their pay fixed from dt of promotion during jan 06 to jun 06, also get the increment on 01 jul 06 as after their promotion we got our next increment on 01jul 07, gap of a year. also we did not get the revised pay and arrears from 01 jan 06 to dt of promotion.

Anonymous said...

My dt of Incrmt was 1st Apr and got discharged on 31st Mar'06.Shall I get the incrmt mooted for one time measure??