Govt bends, armed forces win fight for fair salaries

New Delhi: The country’s defence forces have convinced the Government they deserve a better deal in their salaries.

The Government on Wednesday announced it would soon issue a notification on revised pay scales. It has formed a panel to study the demand of defence services and said the revised salaries would be decided and implemented once the calculations are complete.

The Government announced these decisions after the armed forces complained against a Cabinet decision to implement new salary grades recommended in the Sixth Pay Commission. If the Government revises pay scales, Lt Colonels and their civilian counterparts, Lt Generals and Directors General of Police will get salaries and pensions at par.

The defence services resent the difference in pay scales the pay commission has recommended for its officers and their civilian counterparts. Colonels and equivalent would get at least Rs 10,000 less than their counterparts in civil services.

Lt Generals, admirals and air marshals have been kept at a lower status and pay scales, a glaring disparity that could affect operational coordination. It is such discrepancies that the Government wants to remove.

Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said there were no differences between the government and the armed forces over the pay commission’s report. "There is no difference between the government and the Services, because they are also part of the government. Don't read too much (into the forces complaint)," Antony said in Delhi.

He announced the Union Cabinet had decided to implement the pay commission’s report after amendments—a step which could the exchequer Rs 6,000 crore more.

"After the decision of the Cabinet, Services' chiefs noted some of the problems and anomalies, specifically regarding the defence forces, which is but natural. The government is examining it at the appropriate level. Meanwhile, you are reading too much. It is not correct," he said about reports that the defence services had refused to accept the new pay scales for officers.

Stating that the armed forces had already submitted the details for revised pay scales, the Defence Minister said the government had issued a notification for paying adhoc arrears to the personnel, due to the delay in calculating their revised pay for October.

"Also, the Prime Minister has appointed a committee headed by my senior colleague Pranab Mukherjee. So there is no problem. As far as we are concerned, there is no difference," he said.