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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Miscellaneous bits

Increase in DA in the offing ?

Yes, an increase in DA may be announced soon. Insiders indicate it may be 22% with effect from 01 Jan 2009. But as they say, there’s many-a-slip, so let’s wait for the official announcement ! (Thanks to all those who have sent this in)

Pay and Pension of Colonels (Time Scale)

Though clarified earlier on the blog, there have been various queries on the issue. I confirm it once again for all readers : PB-4 for Col (TS) was announced much before it came through for Lt Cols. Apart from PB-4, Colonels (TS) have also been granted a Grade Pay of Rs 8700. The CDA (O) has also received instructions for the same and the salary in consonance with PB-4 with Rs 8700 GP would be released very soon. Retired Colonels (TS) who were released prior to 01 Jan 2006 would receive a basic pension of Rs 26,050 whereas those who retired after the said date shall receive a pension @ 50% of their last emoluments / average emoluments.

Pension of Maj Generals and Lieut Generals

The pension of pre-2006 pensioners (according to the new scales) is being calculated at 50% of minimum of pay band + Grade Pay + MSP. Accordingly, the basic pension of Cols has been fixed at Rs 26,050 and Brigs at 26,150. The basic pension of Major Generals and Lieut Generals has been fixed lower than Cols and Brigs at 23,700 and 24,700 respectively since MSP is not admissible to Maj Gens and Lt Gens. However, the pension of these General ranks is to be stepped up to Rs 26,150 since a higher rank cannot be sanctioned a pension lower than an inferior rank. There is however a thought process in motion that an additional fitment of Rs 3000 (50% of MSP) may be granted to Major Generals and Lieut Generals since a fitment of Rs 6000 on account of MSP has already been granted to the said serving ranks on promotion from Brig to Maj Gen. While MSP as a separate element is not granted to serving Generals, a fitment jump in the pay itself amounting to Rs 6000 is sanctioned on promotion. This anomaly in pension fixation for Major Generals and Lieut Generals affects only the pre-2006 pensioners and not post-2006 pensioners since in the case of the latter, pension is fixed @ 50% of last drawn emoluments and not on the basis of the 50% of Minima+GP+MSP formula. A grant of such fitment in pension should ideally take care of this glaring anomaly. If implemented, it would raise the basic pension of pre-2006 Maj Generals to Rs 26,700 and Lieut Generals to Rs 27,700. Let’s hope for the best.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have been hearing from lot of people that there is a proposal to bring down the No of service reqd for Col(TS) from 26 yrs to 22/20 years. I do not know how far it is true. Somebody has any news on this? Kinndly share the info. Thanx and best of luck all Lt Col & equivalent brothers.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the instructions for Col (TS) have been received by CDA(O) and the same will be creditedin this months pay-slip. I had visted CDA(O) while on leave a few days ago and was confirmed this by my Sr.AO . So Cheers to all Col(TS) !

Anonymous said...

I dont think DA wef Jan 09 will be announced shortly. DA due wef Jan is announced in Mar & due in Jul is announced in Sep

Anonymous said...

Is This Fire On Everywhere

Read at Whispersinthecorridor

Raw deal for pre 2006 pensioners by ministry of personnel, public grievances & pensions

While the 6th CPC has upheld the 'one rank, one pension' principle enunciated by the 5th CPC earlier, and also accepted by the Government, an arbitrary modification by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions has inexplicably removed the parity between pre and post 2006 pensioners dealing a cruel blow to the hopes of the pre-2006 pensioners. While in para 5.1.47 of its Report, the CPC held that revised pension "in no case shall be lower than 50% of the sum of the minimum of the pay in the pay band and the grade pay thereon corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale from which the pensioner retired", a position accepted by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions in their OM dated 1.9.2008, the Ministry has reversed its position in the OM issued by it on 3 October 2008. The words "corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale from which the pensioner retired" have been arbitrarily removed and "irrespective of the pre-revised scale of pay" added.
Due to this arbitrary modification, Joint Secretary level officers also stand to lose. As per pay Fixation Tables in the OM of the Finance Ministry dated 30.8.08, the minimum pay in the revised pay scale is tabulated as per the accepted formula. For Joint Secretaries (pre-revised basic in Rs 18400-500-22400 scale) the revised pay becomes Rs 44700+10000= Rs 54700 in the scale of Rs 37400+10000 Grade Pay at the minimum of which the pension @ 50% works out to Rs 27350. As per the interpretation in the OM dated 3.10.08, the pension works out to Rs 23700 (50% of Rs 37400+10000= Rs 47400) since the fixation of pay in the revised scale is erroneous which amounts to a difference of Rs 3650.
Officials retire at different points of time and the time scale enables fixation of pay differentially. This is a principle accepted by the 5th CPC and accepted by the 6th CPC. This principle will apply to all services including the 3 All India Services viz. the IAS, IPS and IFS. Difference in pension of a Director & a Joint Secretary in the IAS will be Rs 650 and between a Director and an Additional Secretary Rs 1650. This would apply in the case of a SSP and DIG and SSP and IGP in the IPS and a Deputy Conservator (Selection Grade) and CCF and Additional PCCF in the case of the IFS. There would be a similar impact for the Central Secretariat Services. This is not the case of post 2006 retirees.
Lower fixation of pension will also result in lower fixation of family pension which would be a harsh and cruel blow to the widows of pensioners.
This differentiation between two categories of pensioners is iniquitous and arbitrary. It is also inexplicable since the 6th CPC itself has provided for special benefits for those surviving pensioners aged over 80 years.
Clearly, this is a case of an arbitrary interpretation of the intent of the Pay Commission. It is also against Article 14 of the Constitution.
Can the Ministry change a decision of the Cabinet which accepted the recommendations of the 6th CPC?
It is understood that this has been brought to the notice of the Anomalies Committee through representations by the three All India Services. Now that the Government has redressed the grievances of the Armed Forces, will it take up the case of those who retired prior to 2006?

Girish Chanda, IFS (Retd)
Retd. CCF, UP


Dhuwan utha hai to Aag Lagi huwi hai ??

Dekho ye kaisse manzar nazar aane lage hain'
Ki Log Khare Kahre Chillane lage hai

Anonymous said...

suddenly patronage to the web is reduced! Isuppose Lt cols are happy with PB4.

Anonymous said...

I just could not understand the reasons for delaying issue of orders on PB-4 to Lt Col

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous January 14, 2009 2:39 PM
There is nothing to Understand dear, its just the way OUR CIVILIANS COUNTERPARTS WORK, as simple as that

Anonymous said...

Navdeep,

Could you please tell what is delay in pay order for PB4 for Lt Col. No News is forthcoming as to when we shall be getting the new pay.

Anonymous said...

i m not happy with what govt has done..unless they are going to give grade pay as as per no of yrs of service as done to AIS..there is no use

Anonymous said...

I have heard that the issue of PB4 for the Lt Col is still not fully resolved till MOD issues clarifications on non applicability of PB4 to few categories of deputations .Any comments pl

Anonymous said...

I too ma not happy...

Armed Forces pay and grade progression must be linked to pay progression and Grade progression of IAS...

They can not suddenly dicide to dump Defence of the Country to IPS and other Class A Civil Services...
''and Security Guards..

That is hight of the historical hatred to the braves / fighting class as collective consciousness as also being limits of day dreaming....

We are heading towards post Vikramaditya or post Ashoka era of loot and scoot...whereas we were supposed to be a more secure and confidant India... next to join Super Power league... I really do not know IAS / IPS are the only two elemets that will take us there..???

The elites and political class should hold the trend present competetive but degrading trends in ckeck..or we shall be doomed to be slaves like it happend in history many a times.. all those elements being ready tom repeat history in Paki land, Afghanistan and Han land...

Not forgetting the ever cunning West...

We Can deal with all but not our cunning vengfull and fully bent services of faggots.. the IAS and IPS...

Can not they leave us alone...???

Anonymous said...

In the Navy Cdr (TS) have not been promoted to Capt(TS) after 26 years commissioned service like their counterparts Lt Col (TS) who have been propmoted to Col (TS) in the Army and also Air Force. Will this not lead to disparity in pay and pension between equivalent service officers? I hope this anomaly is being addressed and resolved.

Anonymous said...

Can there be any Lt Col who is not combat ready.If so then why is he wearing uniform? Why then he should be a civilian in defence and also retire at 60 and not 54.

Anonymous said...

@CDR(TS)/Navy
Who says you will not become CAPT(TS), You too will become once all those who were juniors to you (as on 16 Dec 04) become CAPT(TS). It is also inappropriate to compare with Army for any such issues since even there are other areas where Navy take undue advantages such as 100% Captains (Full Col. equi.) becoming Commodores (Brigadiers equi). Moreover, all privileges of CAPT is being provided to left over few CDR(TS) such as plum postings, 10 years at a stretch at a station, Full leave, Top end basic pay etc. considering their case sympathetically.

Anonymous said...

Dear friends, I found this article dated Jan 02, 2009 in "The India Today".As per the article the dispensation on PB4- Deputation will hold good for fresh depuatations only.....read on...but this seem contrary to the confidential letter from PMO..

LATEST NEWS
India TodayLATEST NEWSStory
Armed forces feel let down by PM's pay commission missive
Sandeep Unnithan
New Delhi, January 2, 2009

Comment Print Email A A A Share Facebook! Digg it! Newsvine! Reddit! Del.icio.us! Technorati! StumbleUpon! RSS Feed
CloseIndia Today expert view on PM's pay commission letter disappoints armed forcesIt was meant to be a New Year's gift to the armed forces and will be welcomed by nearly 12,000 officers of the rank of Lt Colonel and equivalent who will earn over Rs 8000 per month by being placed in a higher Pay Band 4.

But the January 1 letter from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office to the Ministry of Defence, a copy of which India Today was able to access, could raise more issues than it resolves.

For starters, all deputations have been immediately disincentivised. Over 2000 officers of the rank of Lt Colonel / Commander and Wing Commander go on deputation to the National Security Guards, DRDO, Assam Rifles, R&AW, IB, Ministry of Defence and Ordnance Factory Boards. They now stand to lose nearly Rs 13,000 in PB4 benefits when they move on deputation.

This provision does not apply to the officers currently on deputation but will apply to all appointments made after this letter becomes a government order. The PM's letter also states that only Majors and Colonels be sent on deputation - a tough task says the military because Colonels (and their equivalent Captains and Group Captains in the navy and air force) command battalions, warships and bases and hence cannot be made available for deputations.

The PM's letter effectively places another contentious issue of parity with the civilian establishment on a back-burner by recommending the setting up of yet another high-powered committee. The pay commission has already seen two high-powered committees – the committee of secretaries headed by the cabinet secretary and the Group of Ministers headed by Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and including (then) Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony. "How many more high powered committees are we going to see?" asks an exasperated army officer.

It's not just unheard of words like 'ready to combat jobs' used in the letter which has puzzled the armed forces. They say the Prime Minister's letter is silent on three other issues they raised: lower grade pay than their civilian counterparts, Lt Generals being left out of Higher Administrative Grade and the cutting of pension to Persons Below Officer Rank (PBORs).

The letter, instead speaks of an unrelated demand – a separate pay commission for the armed forces – raised even before the pay commission recommendation were submitted to the government earlier this year. The move for a separate pay commission effectively hives the military away from the civilian pay commission, but only in the year 2018 when the Seventh Central Pay Commission is convened.

Harry said...

@ All Service Brethren

Pls go thru the following piece by Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (Retd). It clearly brings out that Service HQ have taken a very FAIR and REASONABLE stand on PMO Note. Kudos to our Chiefs!!


Date: Wednesday, 14 January, 2009, 10:45 PM
Dear Colleagues,
The Jantar Manch front continues under charge of team from Punjab. Navy is sailing full steam. We welcome Commodore Thakur (Secy Navy Foundation) and Cdr Tushar Dutt as new IESM members. More are hopefully to follow. Lt Gen Sher Amir Singh from MHOW has been in telephone contact with me. Extracts of his latest email are given below: Quote

I have been following the events and dedication with which you and your team are conducting the activities of the IESM. It has deeply moved me and others in Mhow. A number of us are going to became members of the ESM and will also be individually sending their contribution for this great cause that you all have taken up. Own my part I will be sending my contribution of Rs 2,100 to you by cheque by post ,as there is no HDFC bank branch in Mhow.

I am very happy to note that the movement has gathered momentum and the response from ESM is increasing by the day. This is the only way out with present insensitive setup both at political and bureaucratic levels. Even the media has shown itself in its true colours; no one wants to risk its' neck for the cause of those who have given their lives and precious years to the country. May better sense prevail on them. Unquote

Thank you, sir, for your words of encouragement and your support to the ongoing efforts.

Subscriptions/ Contributions
We are sorry we are lagging behind in sending receipts/acks to those who have sent their subscriptions and contributions. We have not hired any accounting staff and are doing everything ourselves. Gens Satbir and Renjen are both at it. Each member will get his ack. I beseech your patience at the delay.

MOD Meeting
The scheduled meeeting with Secretary Ex Servicemen Welfare Department and his staff took place on 14 Jan 2009. Gens Satbir, Parvesh Renjen and self attended from IESM. There was Maj TC Rao (Chairman, AICC Ex Servicemen Haryana Cell) and two other Colonels. The relevant points that emerged are given ensuingly:
• The govt is concerned that respectable people like the ESM have had to go on hunger strike.
• The principle of OROP (pension equality based on length of service and rank) was reiterated and was endorsed by all ESM present. The Secy said that he is now clear on what it is.
• We declined to give any figure on financial outlay, as we do not have access to data. Mrs Pannu (FADS) however mentioned that Finances are not an issue. This was a departure from the common perception and we thanked her for the clarification.
• On being asked whether in the history OROP was ever in existence, we expressed ignorance of history and clearly stated that even if it never existed, it must do so now. We drew attention to Madan Lal Khurana Committee, which had clearly stated that if there was no precenedent for OROP, it (precedent) must be created.
• We conveyed that the ESM were edgy and angry. The IESM as the unbrella has been exercising control but we do not know how long we can do it.
• It was conveyed that the ongoing protest might also affect the serving though we do not wish it so.
• On being repeatedly asked for the govt response that we could carry back to Jantar Mantar, the Secy merely said the govt is considering the issue. We then stated that this was no assurance and the ongoing fast would continue.
• The 11 Dec 2008 pension letter came up in discussion. After the usual efforts to defend it, they agreed to amend the instructions.

Positive step
As a first meeting, it was a positive step. The Secretary’s claim that the meeting was only at his own behest and not on directions of political leadership carried little conviction. We believe more meetings would follow.

Clarification/ present status
Some members have asked progress about Lt Cols being put in PB 4. The govt orders have been received in writing, including a suggestion that Lt Cols not be sent on deputation hereafter. The Army HQ have on 14 Jan 2009 reverted to govt and raised, inter alia, following observations:

Non-deputation of Lt Cols is unacceptable.

The Grade pay of LT Cols is raised from 8,000 to 8700 to maintain their status.

The non-combat posts need clarification as every officer is ever ready for combat.

The issue is likely to take time and there may not be a gift on 26 Jan 2009 as Col Janakiraman Reddy and others are hoping.

Next Major Rally
After consultation with some others, it has been decided to have the next Rally on Sunday, 8 Feb 2009 instead of 10 Feb 2009. We must put in our best in all corners of the country. Thousands must line the streets and show our strength in a peaceful manner.

Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Anonymous said...

Dear Navdeep. If I am not wrong I had read that all offrs in PB4 would get a higher Tpt Allce of Rs 7000 pm plus DA, which has been implemented by other Govt Deptts e.g. Railways. However MOD notification of 16 Dec states that this higher allce is applicable only to offrs drawing GP of 10000 and 12000, who are entitled to use of a staff car. Any details on this please.

Anonymous said...

@All
The DA would be announced in March 2009 BUT as the inflation is expected to touch 3% by March, hence the DA rate cannot be more than 3%, as the WPI will be obviously less than 3%

Anonymous said...

Aonymous DA Will be based on WPI as on 31 DEC08 will be due wef 01 Jan 09 & will be announced in Mar.WPIl Itis not necessary tha DA would be less than inflation. indepe

Anonymous said...

The SPC letter says to multiply last 10 mos salary the amount of service/33. Do Lt Colonels (S) who retired in Nov 2005 get Qualifying service of 7 yrs?. Won't there be a disparity in people who retired in Nov 2005 & Jan 2006 since 2006 retirees do NOT have the factor the average salary.