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Cabinet may take up pay panel report today

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet is likely to take up for approval the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission on Thursday. The suggestions made by a Committee of Secretaries — set up following widespread resentment, especially among the armed forces, over the recommendations — have been incorporated in the Commission report.

Authoritative sources told The Hindu that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the report. It was attended by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Home Minister Shivraj Patil, besides the Cabinet Secretary and Secretaries of various Ministries.

After the Commission submitted its report in March, there was “disappointment” and “resentment” over its suggestions. The loudest protest came from the armed forces and officers of the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service. The government then set up the Committee of Secretaries, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, to look into “anomalies and disparities” of the employees, and suggest necessary changes.

It was no less than Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who favoured a hike for his men, over and above what was recommended in the pay panel report.

It is now learnt that the government has agreed to enhance substantially the Military Service Pay (MSP) for soldiers as well as some solace to middle ranking officers.

The IPS officers are demanding pay parity for DGPs with Secretaries, abolition of the post of Deputy Inspector-General of Police and promotion to the rank of IG after 16 years of service. They are also seeking incentives for constabulary and lower-rank personnel of the Central Police Organisations, and allowances for performing counter-insurgency, high-altitude and field area duties.

Employees of the engineering service, the Indian Forest Service and the health services too have petitioned the Committee of Secretaries seeking a better deal.

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