Dear Veterans,
A Letter
written to Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and three chiefs by Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM (Retd) Advisor
United Front of Ex Servicemen
& Chairman Indian Ex-Servicemen
Movement (IESM) on the above subject is given below herewith for your
information and widest circulation please.
Dated 27 Jun 2018
To
Smt Nirmala Sitharaman
Hon’ble Raksha Mantri
Hon’ble Raksha Mantri
104,
South Block, New Delhi-110011
STATUS DOWNGRADATION OF ARMED FORCES
Dear Raksha Mantri,
With concern, we wish to
bring to your notice the systematic and continuous downgradation of Defence
Forces and request the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri to seriously address this issue to
ensure, the most suitable youth is attracted to the noble profession of Arms.
It is brought to your
notice that there has been deliberate down gradation of status of Armed Forces-
Functionally as well with respect of Pay Parity.
Functional Downgradation.
Armed Forces Officers have
always been equated with All India Services Officers, as documented in Warrant
of Precedence (WoP), Post War Pay Committee Report & Raghuramiah Committee
Report. JCOs have been accorded Gazetted Officers status by an Act
of Parliament vide Section 3 (xii) of Army Act 1950. Senior NCOs always carried
the status of Non Gazetted Officers. However, MoD has started equating JCOs
with Non Gazetted/ Gp C employees & Sr NCOs with even lower level
employees. Lts & Capts are being equated with Gp B Offrs, Lt Cols with Dy
Dir/ Under Secys (lowest Gp A designation), Cols with Jt Dir/ Dy Secys (2nd Gp
A designation) & Brigs with Directors (3rd Gp A
designation). This issue of Degradation of Military ranks is being actively
pursued by AFHQ CS Cadre, which is a Gp B internal support cadre of Services
HQ, in their quest for comparative up gradation of their own cadre
designations.
A number of letters on
these degraded equations have been issued by CAO/ MoD/ Cabinet Sectt during
last over 20 years. Though RM had ordered for cancellation of one such letter
during Jan 2018, but host of other letters remain in force. These equations are
now slowly & slowly being put into effect on ground in all functional
aspects in Services HQ, ISOs, MoD & on Deputations in other Deptts/
Ministries, including Channel of Reporting, Protocols & various
Entitlements.
Also, presently Armed
Forces have almost no say in decision making in their own Ministry. Even files
endorsed by Chiefs are being subjected to scrutiny by lower bureaucracy.
Decision making in MoD is being directly influenced by lower level civil
bureaucrats who have aggressively started competing for status & service
privileges applicable to uniformed personnel, thereby actively attempting to
downgrade & degrade the Armed Forces.
Pay Parity Downgradation.
Till 5 CPC, Brigs were
placed in SAG II equivalent Pay Scales, Lt Cols in Director’s Pay Scales &
2/Lts had their starting Pay Scale higher than IAS Officers. The JCOs were in
Pay Scales
equivalent to Gp B Gazetted Officers, while Sr NCOs
were in Gp B Non Gazetted Pay Scales. Today the old established Pay Parity is
almost bordering two Rank Downgradation. Presently Maj Gens are in
Level 14 while Police ADGs have moved to Level 15; Cols are in Pay Level 13,
applicable to NFSG Directors; Subedars are placed in Level 7, which is
applicable to Non Gazetted employees & Nb Subs are Level 6, which is even
lower than Non Gazetted. Havildars are in further lower Pay
Levels. This is the very reason the JCOs are not being given higher MSP, NFU is
being refused to Officers & lateral absorption is not working out.
Way Forward.
In Dec 2008, PMO had directed for setting up
of High Powered Committee (HPC) for resolving Status & Rank Equivalence
issue. However, same has not been done till date. While Anomalies Committee was
set up by Govt immediately after 7 CPC for resolving Pay Anomalies of Civilian
employees, including Defence Civilians, no such Committee has been set up for
resolving Defence Pay Anomalies till date. It is therefore imperative that:-
(a) There
is immediate need to arrest the downgradation and restore the status which
existed as on 15 Aug 1947. This be completed in a given schedule at
the earliest say by 31 Dec 2018.
(b) HPC consisting of Parliamentarians be set up
by Govt for establishing one to one Rank equivalence with All India Services
within three months ie by 30 Sep 2018.
(c) Separate HPC consisting of Parliamentarians
be also set up for resolving outstanding Pay Anomalies of Defence personnel by
30 Sep 2018.
(d) MoD be restructured to include adequate
representation from Armed Forces for balanced & synergised decision making
earliest.
(e) AFHQ Cadre in Services HQ & ISOs be
replaced by employing ESM & non-empanelled Offrs, thereby bringing
considerable savings to the Govt.
It
is against all principles of management that decisions on Armed Forces are
being taken by civilian executives who do not understand the ethos and
comraderie of Armed Forces. The main driving force of the armed forces is its
discipline and the fact that a soldier dashes into to volley of bullets and
sure death on orders of his commander are very complex issues, beyond
comprehension of a person who is not involved in these issues. Decisions taken by
individuals who do not understand these issues and emotions will be void of
reality and will never be for raising morale of Armed Forces. Request of Armed
Forces to include their representatives in decision making has always been
brushed aside on the pretext that Armed Forces HQs are always consulted for any
decision. Whereas we all know that that is not the truth and Armed Forces HQs
are only given orders to implement whether they like it or not.
With
regards,
Yours Sincerely,
Maj Gen Satbir Singh, SM
(Retd) Advisor United Front of Ex Servicemen
& Chairman Indian Ex-Servicemen
Movement
(IESM)
Mobile:
9312404269, 01244110570
Copy to :-
General Bipin Rawat, UYSM, AVSM, YSM,
SM, VSM
Chief of the Army Staff Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Army) South Block, New Delhi-110011 |
You are requested to take up this important issue
jointly to restore the status of Defence Forces as suggested above.
|
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa ,PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC
Chief of the Air Staff
Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Air Force)
Vayu Bhawan, New Delhi 110011
|
Our request as above.
|
Admiral Sunil Lanba ,PVSM, AVSM,
ADC
Chief of the Naval Staff & Chairman Chiefs of Staffs Committee (CoSC) Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defence (Navy) South Block, New Delhi -110011 |
Our request as above.
|
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