'Pay issue of armed forces to be resolved shortly'

A ministerial committee, set up to look into the armed forces' grievance about pay 'anomalies', is likely to sort out the matter soon.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the three-member committee, said on Monday he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A KAntony.

"Shortly, I am going to discuss with the Finance Minister (P Chidambaram)," he told reporters here when asked about the issue.

Without giving details of his discussions with the prime minister, Mukherjee said, "I do hope we will be able to sort out the issue shortly".

The committee, which also includes Antony and Chidambaram, was set up by the Prime Minister on September 25 in the wake of deep resentment in the armed forces, who complained that there were 'anomalies' in the 6th

Pay Commission recommendations and that it had lowered the status of their officers.

After the government notification was issued on August 29, the issues of 'anomalies' in the pay for officers was first raised by Air chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee.

Chiefs of Navy and Army too have been voicing their resentment.

Antony has strongly favoured resolution of core issues raised by the three services chiefs in their representation to the government. 

He wrote to Chidambaram, raising issues of 'disparities', including the ones relating to Personnel Below Officer Rank.

• The Sixth Pay Commission