Government agrees to separate pay commission for armed forces

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The government has agreed to set up a separate pay commission for the armed forces when the salary revision exercise is next undertaken five years from now, an official said Thursday.

'The government has agreed that in future, pay revision of the armed forces should be de-linked from that of civilians. A separate board or commission will be set up for pay revision of the armed forces,' the official told IANS.

The government has also decided that lieutenant colonels holding combat or ready-to-combat jobs in their parent service may be placed in pay band four (Rs.37,400-67,000) - one step higher than the Sixth Pay Commission had recommended in its report submitted last year.

'Lieutenant colonels on deputation will get the scale when they return to their parent service,' the official said.

A high-powered committee will also be set up to resolve issues relating to command and control functions and the status of the armed forces vis-à-vis the paramilitary and civilian government employees, the official added.

The decisions are contained in a letter sent from the Prime Minister's Office to the cabinet secretariat Wednesday night.

There had been considerably heartburn in the armed forces after the pay commission submitted its report over what was perceived as the downgrading of uniformed personnel against civilian government employees.

The three service chiefs had even submitted a joint memorandum and made a presentation to Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who in turn had taken up the issue with the then finance minister, P. Chidambaram.

A committee of secretaries had also been set up and is believed to have suggested certain modifications to the pay commission recommendations.