“In addition there are the work conditions that take a toll of your family life - harsh, long periods of separation from families, and with PBOR, problems in getting leave that are manifesting themselves in the numerous incidents of suicide and fragging. To make up for all this, what was envisaged was a Military Service Pay (MSP) for the armed forces. In other militaries across the world, this is called the 'X Factor'.”********************************
by Lt. Gen. Ashok K. Mehta
(April 02, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) The three Service Chiefs sitting as supplicants before the Defence Minister last week, asking for more, was a depressing sight. The armed services sought no favours when they asked the Sixth Pay Commission for a 50 per cent hike in their pay and a four-and-a-half time increase in their allowances. To enable them to argue their case properly, they also sought a representative of the services on the pay panel, mindful of the fact that the Fifth Pay Commission had overlooked the case of the services altogether. This demand was rejected. What they got was a 32 per cent hike, doubling the allowances and emphasis on the fact - in case any of us were in the danger of forgetting - that their rank, pay and allowances were to be benchmarked with the civil services.
The armed forces had thought that Justice Srikrishna, who seemed so receptive when they put forward their arguments, would see things from their point of view. Justice Srikrishna saw merit in their argument that there must be something to compensate the services for two things that arise out of their professional obligations: One, their constant exposure to hazardous situations and the danger to their life and limb; and, the tough physical standards that are demanded of them. Any slip up in this can cause them to lose their job, as passing the 'medical' is as important as a serviceman's intellectual ability to fight. This applies to both officers and Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR). None of the civil services - certainly not the IAS and not the police either - have this as a ground of disqualification and dismissal at any point in their service career.
In addition there are the work conditions that take a toll of your family life - harsh, long periods of separation from families, and with PBOR, problems in getting leave that are manifesting themselves in the numerous incidents of suicide and fragging. To make up for all this, what was envisaged was a Military Service Pay (MSP) for the armed forces. In other militaries across the world, this is called the 'X Factor'. In the US, it is called 'Additional Pay for Difficulties of Military Life', in Australia, 'Service Allowance' and in France, 'Special Pay'.
In all these countries, MSP is a percentage of the salary. This is where the problem lies. The Sixth Pay Commission accepted the conceptual aspect of MSP. But it made it a fixed element, a kind of permanent allowance to be paid to officers up to the rank of Brigadier. All officers were to be given this allowance of Rs 6,000 and all PBOR to be paid Rs 1,000.
Through one gesture, the Sixth Pay Commission turned into a gratuity, a kind of 'tip' to soldiers, what should have been a percentage of their salary. What this means essentially is that while the 'hardship' suffered by the civil servants has been woven into their pay and allowances which has been enhanced, the 'hardship element for a soldier serving in Siachen or fighting in the North-East remains frozen at Rs 6,000/1,000. The Government's argument is that any changes will upset the parity of officers with the civilian bureaucracy. But wasn't that the general idea?
This is not the only problem. Officers above the rank of Major General will continue to remain in one-pay grade no matter how young they are when they pick up their rank. In the private sector, this kind of stagnation of pay would not have been tolerated. It is the plight of PBOR that is particularly worrying. They retire relatively young, and for the sake of being offered jobs in the Central Paramilitary Organisations, will have to give up the pension they were getting from the military. This is highly simplistic solution for a complex problem.
Newspapers have gone to town about how the Service Chiefs have been equated with the Cabinet Secretary. This is not new and nothing to celebrate. What was long overdue and has happened at last is the upward revision in the pay of the Director General, Armed Forces Medical Corps.
In the Pakistan Army, the salary of a Captain is around Rs 15,000, that of a Lieutenant Colonel is Rs 20,000 and a Colonel earns between Rs 20,000 and 25,000 a month. A Brigadier gets Rs 30,000 and above. A Cadet gets around Rs 10,000 a month. The pay scale in the Army is not very high as officers are directly commissioned as officers in 17 grades. But as everyone knows, there are perks in the Pakistan Army that are unmatchable. The salary is tax free - so while everyone else in Pakistani society pays taxes, the armed forces have let themselves off on that score. The Fauji Foundation is a vast organisation that takes care of every aspect of the life of a soldier - from plots of land to building houses to medical relief. And most important of all, when you're in service - either fighting on the front or posted in the Ministry of Defence - there are no civil servants, police or Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), breathing down an officer's neck when he recommends a particular piece of equipment for purchase.
The older generation of officers is a content lot. Several of my friends say wonderingly that they never thought they would be so comfortably off because they are used to spending very little money on themselves. But for young, ambitious and eminently qualified mid-level officers, the prestige of being called a military officer provides as much a rush as having the money to take your family out for the weekend. This is a treat that no longer costs Rs 100 for an evening movie at the Roxy and dinner at DSOI. This applies to PBOR who are getting smarter and ambitious.
In a recent set of advertisements that is currently running on television, Shahrukh Khan says: "Thoda aur wish karo." It is time the Service Chiefs, instead of wishing, thumped the table a little. It takes a big bang to make little men hear.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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