Army chief takes pay panel grievances to the President

NEW DELHI, JULY 16: In an unusual departure, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor has approached President Pratibha Patil with the grievances of the armed forces against the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, creating a flutter in Government circles.

While the Army claims that the grievances were put forward as part of a routine report, the move has not gone down well with the Government which is viewing it as questioning an issue that has not yet been resolved by the Cabinet.

The Army says the matter was brought up in a post-visit report presented to the President by the Army chief after her tour of Jammu and Kashmir that took place in May. But the report is being seen as involving the Supreme Commander in an issue which is being examined by the Committee of Secretaries.

The Army contends that the post-visit report is routine and several things, including the pay panel recommendations that were discussed during the visit, were included.

The Committee of Secretaries constituted to look into the matter is set to present its recommendation for a revision of the pay panel proposals to the Cabinet and has approved most demands put forward by the armed forces, including doubling the Military Service Pay (MSP) of soldiers to Rs 2,000 and increased allowances for Lt Generals posted at Army Headquarters.

Sources say that Defence Minister A K Antony will be pitching for an increase in pay over and above the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries when the matter is brought to the Cabinet. He is expected to push for an MSP of Rs 3,000 for soldiers, citing the hardships they face.

The Government has been uneasy with the vocal protests put up by the armed forces against the pay commission recommendations, especially after Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta wrote to the Defence Minister in May, saying that nothing was being done on the pay review and that the review panel had no representation from the armed forces.

The Prime Minister’s Office too had noted the continued public protests by ex-servicemen against the recommendations and had taken up the matter with the Defence Ministry. At least two former Army chiefs, Gen N C Vij and Gen V P Malik, had also written to the Prime Minister, asking him to intervene on behalf of the armed forces. This had prompted Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju to say in May that “it is unbecoming” of former soldiers to take to the streets to press for increased salaries.
Source : The Indian Express