New "pay anomalies" cause rift between Services, Ministry

As the Pranab Mukherjee-led ministerial committee is grappling with armed forces' pay-related grievances, the three Services have now taken a fresh controversy to A K Antony's doors over "issues created" by Defence Ministry bureaucrats. 

The Defence Ministry's special instructions on the 6th Central Pay Commission notification, the Services say, have "back-stabbed" the armed forces personnel by introducing seven fresh "anomalies" last week. 

The "anomalies" include re-defining of the military service pay and rank pay, which actually subverted the purpose for which the pay commission had recommended it in the first place, sources in the Services' headquarters said here today. 

"The Services headquarters approached Defence Minister Antony against the mischief and back-stabbing in the special instructions issued by the ministry officials and have sought removal of these provisions. The new anomalies are different from the four core issues that we raised earlier," sources said. 

"The changes in the definition and meaning of key pay commission recommendations have been done on the sly to deal a blow to the armed forces' morale and to deny them their due," they alleged. 

The special instructions, issued by the Defence Ministry on the pay commission notification, was received by the armed forces on October 20.

Source : The Economic Times.