7th Pay Commission latest news today: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar reacts to discontent within armed forces regarding salary & pension hike
New Delhi, June 29: Union Cabinet has cleared the revised recommendations of 7th Pay Commission. The final CPC report has reportedly disappointed the armed forces, as the Empowered Committee of Secretaries has failed to incorporate their demands. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has attempted to reconcile the voices of dissent propping up.
“We had pushed forward their demands with full force. Some of them have been accepted. Some haven’t been taken. The Finance Ministry will look into it,” he said.
Former Chief of Army Staff, General Roy Chowdhury lashed out at the Secretaries Panel for failing to do justice with the defence personnels. The Uniform Pay Matrix has not been taken into account. The ‘Allowances’ have not been brought at par with civilian employees. The much-awaited demand of parity in disability allowance have also been ignored.
The various anomalies in fixation of pay and pensions has created a discontent within the armed forces and ex-servicemen. By not implementing the Uniform Pay Matrix, government has allowed the Defence Pay Matric to be restricted to 24 pay levels, whereas, the bureaucratic pay level is 40. This not only stagnates the salary hike after 31 years of service, but decreases the pension amount by at least Rs 20,000 as compared to civilian employees.
Similarly, the parity in allowances between uniformed forces and civilian employees was a long pending demand. A CAPF DIG posted Leh gets Rs 57,000 in form of allowances. But a brigadier gets only Rs 17,000. The disability pension for Additional Secreatry is Rs 60,000, but for a Lt General, it is only Rs 27,000.
Read at: India.com
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Military Service Pay must be equal for all irrespective of rank.