Col J P Singh, Retd
Military service is not an attractive profession in terms of status, pay, perks and pension. The status and inter-se-equation of defence personnel viz their civilian counterparts as it existed on 26 Jan 1950 is still cherished by the old timers. Till the 3rd Pay Commission military was highest paid service in India. Presently it is somewhere in the middle. To off set reduction, 4th Pay Commission granted ‘Rank Pay’ to the officers whereas ‘Military Service’ (MS) pay was granted by 6th Pay Commission. But the soldiers expectations were more. MS pay does not cater to the risk and hardships of military service. Genuine demands of the soldiers are therefore Military Duty and Service Span Pay. They want compensation for 24 X 7 hours day-night duty involving quick mobilisation at a shortest notice for war or aid to civil authorities.
Service in the Armed Forces is risky. It is more than para military forces deployed on the border. Capt Kalia and his Patrol were captured in Indian territory, tortured to death even when no war had been declared. Killings and beheading of soldiers on the LOC, encounters on the LAC, Submarine tragedy and frequent MIG 21 crashes are glaring examples of constant risk to soldiers lives and its unimaginable psychosomatic effects on family. No life risk is involved in other jobs. No official from any civil service or their families have to live through such fears as do the soldiers individually and collectively whether on the LOC, LAC or elsewhere in the line of duty. Military service calls for fight till the last man last round and finally hand to hand fight, be it with the enemy, in insurgencies or terrorism. There is no surrender or giving up or compromise for the soldier. It needs guts, ruthless training and determination to do it. Case of an Infantry Major who contested Chinese ingress and ensured they withdraw from Indian territory, shown in TV Channels, is a clear case of bravely facing a stronger enemy patrol with grit and determination at the risk of getting killed while Foreign and Defence Ministers showed no such guts to protect honour of their country during their visits to China following Daulat Beg Oldi ingress. Such soldiers deserve 50 % higher entry pay.
Considering that a youth joins army as Sepoy and his brother / cousin joins a civil dept as peon or clerk, both get same pay as per the pay band. Sepoy undergoes rigorous physical and military training involving high risk. Lives are lost during training and firing when the barrels burst, premature ignition of ammunitions take place and blinds are collected and destroyed. Physical disabilities occur during tough training and operational exercises leading to medically boarding out, leaving soldiers disabled for the life. Data of such casualties is available on the website. Hence military duty pay, 50 % over and above the basic of that pay band should be the starting basic at the entry level.
Service Span Pay. Taking the above case, one of the brother serves up to 60 yrs age, the other serves 17 to 28 years ( one out of 70 go to 28). Both having joined at 18, Sepoy will retire at 35 ie 25 years before his brother, if survives. One serves through out in big towns and the other all over the country under extreme hardships. No compensation has been given for short span of service. Hence the soldiers expect last pay drawn to be paid till he attains 60 years of age as is prevalent in many countries. Hence at the time of making a choice by two brothers there should be a distinct motivation. If we compare IAS, IFS, Income Tax and Revenue Services with the commissioned officers, Rs 6000 MS pay is the only incentive at entry level. These Civil services overtake them within 4 to 5 years in promotions, basic and grade pay besides administrative powers in addition to lots of peripheral and hidden benefits. Majority of military officers retire at 54 whereas all in civil services retire at 60 to 62. Hence the officers, JCOs and OR must be compensated for shorter span of service.
Rank pay granted by 4th Pay Commission over and above the basic pay was not accepted by the govt. It was made part of the basic. Major Dhanapalan filed a case in Kerala High Court & Supreme Court and won. Thereafter lots of petitions were filed. Supreme Court gave same relief to all the similarly placed officers. Despite this govt continues to contest the rank pay case in the Apex Court on a minor point of ‘as on’ or ‘wef’ 01 January 1986.
There are hardship allowances for various difficult areas and hazardous duties. There is militancy allowance also. Same are paid to civil services as well. They are separate from the basic, hence separately claimed. Controllers of defence accounts raise queries over such claims, delay payments, giving soldiers feeling of serving in the mercenary army.
Armed forces are called upon to rescue the nation from one crisis to the other. Same govt gives it substandard TATRA, inferior Bullet Proof Jackets, outdated rations, lesser pay and tramples their honour. By doing so govt is driving veterans and soldiers to favourable political parties, the consequences of which, too terrible to think, may one day be serious.
Before arriving at the base salary of soldiers by 7th Pay Commission, existing anomalies of 4th, 5th, and 6th pay commissions will have to be resolved. Each military rank starting from LNK should carry separate rank pay for its responsibilities and different pay scales for its status.
I feel armed forces must forcefully project risk factor for determination of pay at entry level. Risk factor be made the main issue for getting better monetary benefits. Soldiers getting killed on LOC and being submissive on LAC signal something lacking in soldiering. Unwillingness to face odds boldly because of the resultant family psychosomatic problems may be one cause. Hence 50 % addition in entry level can enhance motivation.
In view of rising cost of living and medical expenses, pension must be exempt from income tax and the family pension should remain the same since the dependence of old lady invariably falls on other than own siblings.
A soldier is the one who delightfully seeks bayonet and Khukri fight in the battlefield. He kills, captures ground, holds it and may get killed. No civil service is trained even in self defence not to mention hand to hand fight with the enemy. Hence the selection, training and motivation for such profession needs review by the govt and compensation by Pay Commission. When a soldier sits in a night ambush in freezing cold on a ‘Valentine Day’, he expects that army will give him a Red Rose in the morning. Let his hopes not be shattered. Army top brass is duty bound to get the soldiers and veterans their dues. Let this trust be reinforced.
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