A circular issued by the defence ministry equating various ranks in the armed forces to civilian posts has angered service personnel, who believe their status has been lowered at least by a notch. For instance, the order equates an army major general (rear admiral in the navy and vice-marshal in the air force) to a principal director in the Armed Force Headquarters Civil Service. What has particularly upset them is that the order mentions that it “has the approval of the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri”.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has pledged to rectify any such downgrading, while clarifying that it was merely an attempt to define functional responsibilities. It is unbelievable that the defence ministry could have issued the circular without the minister’s permission. What is obvious is that the ministry offi cials concerned were able to mislead the minister, whether he admits or not. Recently, a report that the pensions of those who were disabled in action was reduced had caused considerable heartburn.
As it is, defence personnel are upset with the way the Seventh Pay Commission is being implemented. Their disappointment began with the fact that no service representative was included in the commission, and saw it as a refl ection of the step-motherly attitude of the government. While civilian staff can have unions, the uniformed personnel cannot.
There is no logic in not including a senior service person, serving or retired, in the committee. The perception is that they are now treated lower than bureaucrats and police personnel. This is mainly due to the excessive infl uence the civil services lobby has in the decision-making process. Small wonder that the three service chiefs have protested against this kind of treatment meted out to their subordinates. The minister should remain alert about such machinations and protect the interests of the service personnel who alone can defend the nation against external aggression.