COST TO NATION

COST TO NATION - DEFENCE / PARA MILITARY FORCE / CIVILIAN OFFICER

Since last few months after the approval of Sixth Pay Commission a lot of discussion has taken place whether few officers from Defence Ranks should be shifted to the next pay grade or not. It has been projected that these officers are now getting lesser pay than the civilian / CPOs who are paid earlier less pay than these Defence Officers. I would like to explain what is the cost to the nation of these officers. In the comparision, I am taking the Rank of Lt. Colonel of Defence Forces because this is the one rank which Defence Forces are stating is being paid less than their civilian counterparts.

Sl.No. Topic Lt.Colonel Commandant Civilian Officer Remarks

01. Basic 26,280 37,400 37,400 The starting basic pay is only Rs. 11,120 less than the other CPO/Civilian officers which are one rank higher than the Lt.Colonel rank.

02. Grade Pay 7,600 8,700 8,700

03. MSP 6,000 NIL NIL After including MSP and GP the difference is only Rs. 5,120

04. Sahayak 15,000 7,500 NIL The Sahayak in the lowest pay band will cost atleast this much considering his present salary, pension and all benefits of Defence services

05. Free Ration 7,500 NIL NIL Minimum expected cost of existing free ration providing 4300 calories per day

06. School Transport 2000x2 NIL NIL Minimum expected cost

07. Free electricity 500 NIL NIL Charge for free units only

08. Canteen facility 2500 NIL NIL Expected benefit to each officer per month including benefit toward cost of liquor

09. House 15000 Nil Nil Expected cost to Nation view entitlement of house to all Military Officers whereas, other CPO/Civilians have to wait in CPWD roster for first 15 years of service.

10. Free Furniture 2000 Nil Nil Expected cost of hiring furniture as entitled to defence officer

11. Railway Discount 3000 Nil Nil All Defence Officers are authorised to avail 06 sets of Form-D to travel Home town

12. KMA 400 300 Nil

13. Medical 2000 Nil Nil All Defence Officers get five star medical treatment at Military Hospitals, whereas, others have to struggle in Govt. hospitals along with the common public

14. Transport 5000 5000 Nil

15. Pension 2000 Nil Nil Only Defence Officers are now authorised for Pension which is stopped for other entries after 04 Jan 2004

2. It can be seen that Lt. Colonel costs about Rs. 98,780/- per month to the nation, whereas, officers senior to him will cost only Rs. 58,900 (CPOs) & Rs. 46,100 (Civilian Director) respectively. The cost of Military officer to the nation is very high, whereas, the productivity is only restricted to country defence. In a developing country like our we require to have more expenditure towards developing departments which brings earning to the nation and upliftment of the 20% poor bretheren below poverty line. Even in the present pay scale the Lt.Colonel costs even more than Cabinet Secretary. Moreover, these Military officers have to be paid pension through out their life which is a very long term expenditure to the nation. In the present circumstances what we require is an efficient bureaucracy, small and well paid Defence services and very effective Police Force.

3. In the era of national development the requirement of effective policing is much more than a big military force. Country should have an agreement with Pakistan and China and all three nations can reduce their military strength by at least 50% if not more.

4. The requirment of day-to-day life should be met with normal state Police with their standby CPO/CPMF Forces to guard the uneventualities and regular patrolling of our borders.

5. The present expenditure of more than 1,00,000 crores on the defence forces if reduced by 50% can give 100% Personal Income-tax rebates to the entire country, one can imagine the benefit of reducing the military strength by 50%. This step itself will increase our country's reputation all around the world. The example of Japan which survived without any defence force since last 60 years are good enough to effect these changes.

6. The world has seen various countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mynmar, Iraq and host of other countries which have failed due to their ruling by strong defence forces. The proven model all around the world is the military reporting to the civil administration. The bureaucracy on the other hand needs to know the requirement of a typical military life.

7. My above comments are in no way criticizing our three respectful Defence forces, which have always shown their capabilities in last 61 years of Independence. The time has come when the Defence services are required to think what is more important to the overall development of the nation and not the individual development of a service or section. The cost of having Lt.Colonel is about Rs.1,00,000 a month and that of other para military / civilian is 50% of this cost. Can a country of ours affords to pay more to these Lt. Colonels is upto the nation to decide.

WRONG INTERPRETATION OF DEFENCE OFFICER PAY SCALES BY SERVICE OFFICERS/FEW BLOGS

It has been observed that there is a wrong interpretation of edge in the pay scale of Defence Officers by few service Officers and by few blogs. It is pertinent to mention that CPMF / CPOs are always having civilian pay scales and thus indirect relativity always existed between CPMF / CPOs rank structure and of that of Defence Services Officers rank structure. The exact history of this edge is as follows :-

First Pay Commission

1. A post war pay committee was constituted after first pay commission.

2. It abolished few war related allowances and merged remaining with the pay.

3. It also established broad relativity of Defence Service Officers with class central services and IPS.

4. These recommendations was implemented w.e.f 01 Jul 1947.

Second Pay Commission

1. Raghuramaiah Committee Report on Defence Forces was given in 1960 after Second Pay Commission. The revision made by this committee broadly followed second pay commission and accepted parallal between defence officers and class I services and IPS

Third Pay Commission

1. The Third Pay Commission was the first to give recommendation on Defence Services pay scales. The committee stated that relativity exists between Police and Defence and not between and IAS and Defence Services on pay scales.

2. The pay commission discontinued the Special Disturbance Allowance granted in 1950 as a special identity and merged this allowance with the pay scale of Defence Services. That's how the slight edge in pay scale of Defence Serivce officers over other serivce started.

Fourth Pay Commission

As requested by Defence Services the pay commission recommend a running pay scale upto Brigadier / equivalent and rank pay. The commission kept Major General in SAG pay scale of 5900-6700

Fifth Pay Commission

The service headquarters recommended two running pay scales
(a) Till the post of Colonel
(b) Brigadier to Lt. General
The pay commission did not agree to the running pay scale and recommended different pay scale for each rank with slight edge and rank pay.

What was this edge ?

Special Disturbance Allowance merged with the basic pay was this edge. This was not increase in the status but only monetary compensation to the hardship of Military life.

(a) This edge was Rs. 50/- to 300/- in various ranks of Service Officers in Third Pay Commission
(b) Rs. 100/- + Rank pay of various ranks by Fourth Pay Commission
(c) Rs. 250/- + Rank Pay by Fifth Pay Commission
(d) The Sixth Pay Commission maintained this edge by recommending MSP of Rs. 6000/- to Officers as an allowance and removed the edge in the Basic Pay Scale which was merged earlier by Third Pay Commission (merger of Special Disturbance Allowance in basic pay).

In last 35 years, since Third Pay Commission Defence Sservice Officers mistook this edge as increase in their status and started compairing various officers rank with one to two civil ranks. When the Sixth Pay Commission, as requested by Service Headquarters, placed again the Service Officers in their equivallent civil pay scales the service officers mistook it with lowering of status which was not the case.

I have given the complete history of this edge it is upto various service officers / CPMFs / CPOs / Civil Officers to judge this history. Moreover, most of the pay commissions are authored by prominent judges and we are too small to judge their decisions.

OVERKILL BY DEFENCE

The shout of the Defence HQs was probably too high and too annoying for the Tower of Power.Moreover the efforts of senior officers to put other services in bad light,had killed the issue,and taken as negative approach of Defence Forces and probably the young officers have to pay for that. The equation drawn by the forces was never agreed even by the MOD since last 61 years and the various letters were issued in this regards.The Defence Forces were given higher start to compensate for the hardship of life,which was mistaken as senior status by Defence and this resulted in creating a hype among them and thus placing of LTCols in PB-3 was not considered correct by them.The Defence forces will be always equated with CPOs for functional duties before giving any status or pay as they are the nearest in nature of duties and any other equation will never be acceptable to any body in the govt, the early the forces understand this the early it is better.