The three services of the Indian Armed Forces — Army, Air Force and Navy— have asked the Union government to put on hold their revised salaries as per the Seventh Central Pay Commission’s recommendations till the anomalies are rectified.
The service headquarters dispatched signals over the weekend to every military formation informing the troops and officers on why the new pay scale has been kept in abeyance.
“While a few of our concerns have been addressed, we have been constrained to request the government to hold implementation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission award in abeyance in view of the anomalies, which need to be resolved,” read the official communication to the troops.
The soldiers have also been cautioned against speculation or paying attention to rumours. “In the interim, personnel are expected to display maturity and patience and not be swayed by hearsay or speculative reports from any quarters,” it added.
The three service chiefs Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had taken up the salary discrepancy issue with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
On Monday, the government set up a committee to look into the various pay-related anomalies arising out of the implementation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission’s recommendations.
The 22-member panel will be headed by the Department of Personnel and Training secretary. One of the panel members is the Defence Ministry’s financial adviser.
The Central government has accepted most of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission to be implemented from January 1, 2016. The Defence Ministry on September 7 issued two separate implementation orders for the officers and troops of the armed forces, which have been opposed by the services.
One of the major concerns of the military was the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendations to equate them on a par with the Central Armed Police Forces, which they said reduced their status. Inappropriate risk allowances and not having a common pay matrix were the other concerns.