How easy it is not
to take a decision and to send any welfare oriented proposal into an orbit of
perpetuity in India!
This short post, with a particular example related to the
military, is just a reflection on what all is wrong with our governmental
systems and which consequently afflicts every single wing of governance and is imbibed
by many of those who are in public service, including the military.
Many anomalies arise in Government policies related to
pay, allowances and pensions from time to time. Of course, since these emanate
from letters issued by the Government at various levels, the same authorities
are competent to cure those defects. But to avoid resolution, things are given
a different twist. Let us take the example of pay and other related anomalies
of the defence services. A Committee of Secretaries was specially set up by the
last Government to look into some such anomalies related to the military. But
rather than resolving the same or attempting to find a solution, it was
recommended by the Committee that the said anomalies should be referred to the
Pay Commission being an expert body in the subject. But why should existing and
identified anomalies in Government policies be looked into by a Pay Commission
when under the Rules of Business the Central Government itself is competent to
alter or amend those policies? And then what happens, when referred to the Pay
Commission, the said Commission does not comment on the referred points at all,
or throws the ball back into the Government’s court asking the latter to look
into the same, thereby relegating affected personnel by ten or twenty or even
thirty years since it is only after a decade that a Pay Commission is
constituted.
So where does this end? Nowhere. The Circle of infinity.
8 comments:
"The Buck Stops Here!...is what the Government ought to be reminded of.
I recollect C Northcote Parkinson's Law states somewhat like this:
"If you do not want to take a decision on a matter, appoint a Committee to look into it!"
If we think deeper we will find most controversial and decision not to likens of bureaucracy ,politicians & govt are pushed to judiciary.
Who is interested to give benefits to armed forces Politicians or Babus.The answer is NONE.Since both are controlling the ball ,it keeps rolling back and forth.Unless Armed forces are given choice to have union for pay and alln or they are allowed to raise the issue to prope authority of unjustice being done to them especially created for this purpose no one is going to bother.Our senior officers need to shed attitude of selfishness in case we want this kind of situation to stop.GOD bless the Defence forces.Thanks Navdeep for the good job you are doing.
Dear Major
Is is true that an average Indian citizen does proudly feel that the armed forces need to be respected and revered and also paid well. However, the so called educated elite have been led to believe that there are too many privileges like free petrol (?) free liquor (??) free servants (???) cheap CSD , free golf courses etc. that are indicate that we are already very well paid and looked after. Dont we need to be more circumspect and careful while generously sharing and inadvertently flaunting our very hard earned facilites with our 'civilian' "friends". Not many amongst the supermarket/mall generation realise that CSD is a life line for troops and veterans living away from cities and in remote locations. Bureaucrats rue us our free rations but isn't that factored into our cost to the government?? On a serious note, we in the armed forces must also become less dismissive of the civilians while aiming to be less ostentatious and more grounded with the realities of a more aware Indian populace. We do need to stop behaving like brown burra sahibs and be less smug and pompous to stop profligate use of derogatory terms like 'bloody civilians' etc. After all we come from civilian backgrounds, go back to being one and most importantly, an average Indian civilian pays taxes to fund our well being so that we protect him and not deride him. If we don't wake up to these hard facts of life then we better be prepared to accept that every such opportunity afforded to the detractors will capitalised upon and used again, and again, and again with debilitating effect in every pay commission or otherwise. Jai Hind.
As a thinker and legal luminary ,you have identified " 0,circle of infinity " apt.yes! this approach and practice by systems in Govt - a sort of perfected modus operandi to evade ,postpone and deny ; particularly burning issues and matters of military men pay and pensions is glaringly visible for decades.This method is artistically practiced and applied by bureaucracy over Defence Forces - by MOD ,PCDAs,DESW,MOF ....etc ,individually and jointly.
That is Genesis and route cause of all these manufactured( factored knowingly without resolutions), problems .As somebody said ,it is not rocket science.All ,very simple to resolve at governance/administration levels (created ,existing and paid for by public),without all infructions and wasteful human resources of Nation in presentations,representations,appeals ,thousands of court cases ,agitations ,strikes ,committees of never ending ,commissions ....etc.
Colossal and wasteful expenditure of this activity costing more than what it would actually cost to Govt to conceed just and legitimate pay & pensions.
(sorry for lengthy comment & joiner )
If one is an Indian Army soldier then this factual perspective is indeed frustrating. However, if one is on the other side of the river (i.e. either a bureaucrat or a politician & especially Indian!) then this is the perfect way to thwart Indian Army's forays into constructing a better national security apparatus with highly motivated & well paid professionals which may result in side-lining the generalist bureaucracy & unskilled in the art of warfare politician class. Thus even if it be detrimental to the national security as a whole, but being beneficial to the babus & netas this is the safest line to toe. This way, "they" can keep on becoming martyrs while "they" can enjoy their privileges. Ergo, let status quo be maintained. Period.
Apt.It is artistically employed by state mechinary to delay and deny legitimate pay &pension there upon of soldiers.This is glaringly visible modus operandi of
bureaucracy of secretaries over soldiers who safe guard their establishments of their offices of functioning..
Where is the need to throw issues that can be resolved ,into orbits of committees,commissions ,never ending appeals on certain duly adjudicated matters. The public money spent on this activity is much more than actual amounts involved in certain cases ; besides loss of human resources due to loss of motivation.
Any calculators available to calculate arrears ?
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