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Government rejects separate defence Pay Commission

The armed forces will not have a separate Pay Commission.

This follows the government's rejection of a recommendation of Parliament's standing committee on defence urging the government to examine the feasibility of appointing a separate Pay Commission for the armed forces in view of the distinct nature of their work.

According to the government's reply to the committee, the department of personnel and training had taken the view that if this demand was conceded, then employees of Union territories and industrial employees would also demand separation from the Pay Commission.

Since the armed forces themselves had not resented the government decision to refer the conditions of service, salary structure and such other things of the armed forces to be determined by the Central Pay Commission right from the third CPC and had in fact closely interacted with the fifth CPC, the existing arrangements appeared to be in order.

The reply of the government is contained in the first report of the 12th Lok Sabha's standing committee on defence. This report contains the action taken on the recommendations in the fifth report of the 11th Lok Sabha's standing committee on defence.

The suggestion to include armed forces personnel in the empowered committee appointed by the government to screen the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission also did not appear to have found favour with the government.

The government's reply on this count says that it was the cabinet which had constituted the empowered committee and had decided its composition.

In its fifth report, the committee had expressed the view that a career in the armed forces could not be compared with the other services.

To make the armed forces a preferred career option, the committee had desired that, in the new pay package, pay and allowances and other terms and conditions of service of armed forces personnel should be made sufficiently attractive, and those who work in inhospitable conditions as in submarines and Siachen area should be adequately compensated.

Simultaneously, the committee had also recommended that keeping in view the distinct nature of work of the armed forces, the government should examine the feasibility of appointing a separate Pay Commission for the armed forces personnel.

The committee had also expressed the view that in the empowered committee appointed by the government to screen the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission, a representative of the armed forces personnel should be included.

The committee, however, now does not desire to pursue its recommendation in this regard in view of the government's replies.

The government's reply, besides turning down the recommendation for a separate Pay Commission and inclusion of a representative of the armed forces in the empowered committee, lists a series of improvements recommended by the fifth Pay Commission in pay and allowances and other terms and conditions of the armed forces.

UNI

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