By IANS,
New Delhi : The Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth-led committee on pay anomalies of the defence forces is all set to submit its report Wednesday, with Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma Tuesday saying he will “wait and watch” the political process that it will take for resolution.
The government had formed the committee on July 13 and had asked it to submit a report by Aug 8.
However, Verma, in his capacity as chairman of the chiefs of staff committee (COSC), had written to Defence Minister A.K. Antony expressing disappointment over the government committee not having a defence representative.
“It is a fact that there is no members of military in the committee that has been formed…We will wait and see what is the final outcome and this will go through the political process for resolution,” Verma said at his farewell press conference here. He is retiring on Aug. 30.
“But interaction is happening. We have briefed the committee about the anomalies and on how to handle them. During the process of formulation of the report, consultation will be there,” he added.
The government had tasked the committee to look into issues of defence personnel such as common pay-scale for in-service junior commissioned officers and other ranks; initial pay-fixation of lieutenant colonels, colonels, and brigadiers of the army and their equivalents in the other two armed forces; review and enhancement of grade pay; placing all lieutenant generals in the higher administrative grade plus pay scale; and grant of non-functional upgradation (NFU) to armed forces personnel.
The panel was to also look into the ex-servicemen issues such as one rank, one pension, enhancement of family pension, dual family pension, and family pension for mentally and physically challenged children of armed forces personnel on marriage.
Set up on the orders of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the committee had Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Pulok Chatterjee and Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as members, apart from secretaries of departments of expenditure, ex-servicemen welfare and personnel and training.