WHY DO I FEEL CHEATED?

An article by Lt Col A K Rai, Member XISF


Many people have asked me why do I feel cheated after having read my article "I Feel Cheated" in the Indian Defence Review and Sify .com. My answer:

All along my stay at RIMC, Dehradun and Training at National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun I was informed by my seniors and the armed forces officers that the Officers of the Indian Army were at par with the IAS and certainly better than the IPS and that the Major (A rank attained after 13 Years of Service at that time) in the Army was equivalent to IAS officer with not less than 12 years of service an SP with not less than 15 years of service in the IPS. We were also told that where as the IAS Officers started his career at Rs. 700/- pm an army officer started his career with Rs.750/- pm

When I got commissioned into the Indian Army on 13 June 1981 I was thrilled to have been lucky enough to join this elite service. I continued to live with this illusion till I was transferred to the Army Ordnance Corps after seven years as I had broken my knee ligament and medically downgraded. From the 7 SIKH Regt I was posted to Ordnance Depot, Shakusrbasti, New Delhi. Here my illusions were broken by the ground reality. All along we had been told that the JCOs were Class II gazetted officers. But here the JCOs were equated with non gazetted civilian employees. The equation as existing today vis a vis clerical cadre of the army and the civilian clerical cadre in the organizations having both the civilian and the armed forces personnel like the three services Headquarters, Ordnance depots etc is as given below :


Army Ranks (Clerical Cadre) Civilian Clerical Cadre
Sepoy, Lance Naik, Naik and Havildar Lower Division Clerk
Naib Subedar (Gazetted Rank) Upper Division Clerk (With less than --- five years service) (Non Gazetted Post)
Subedar (Gazetted rank) Upper Division Clerk (With more than ---- five years service), and Office Supdt ---- Grade -II (both Non Gazetted Posts)
Subedar Major (Gazetted rank) Office Supdt Grade -I ( Non Gazetted Post)


I asked how? Nobody could answer. Then as luck would have it a civilian ordnance officer (a direct entry Class II gazetted who had joined the AOC in 1981) got promoted and became CSO and thus became equivalent to a major and also became senior to me as I was a Captain then. Now this was disturbing, as a person joining AOC as a civilian Class II officer with one promotion had become senior to an Army officer who had got two promotions (Lt and Capt). More importantly did he also became equivalent to a SP with not less than 15 years of service in IPS? There was something wrong somewhere. The truth was different? I started researching I read Reports of all the Pay commissions. The end result was that over the period starting right just a few years before independence the JCOs who were gazetted officers were degraded and made equivalent to non gazetted civilian employees. The officers were degraded two ranks and that is why we find Major Generals complaining that they with 32 y6ears of service are equivalent to Civilian officers with 18 years (now 14 Years) 0f service. Surprisingly some of the very knowledgeable officers have floated this myth that "the slow promotions in the armed forces are because of the steep pyramidical hierarchy".

Now before I go further, it is necessary for the readers especially armed forces officer as to the structure of the Group A Civil Services (Class- I, II , III and IV of yesteryears have been rechristened as Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D) has been . Like the army officers get promoted from a lower rank to a higher rank, the civilian officers get promoted from a lower Pay grade to a higher pay grade. Like the Army has the same ranks for all the arms and services the Group A Civil services (including the postal and the accounts) have standard pay scales as follows. I have given the comparative table before the "upgradation of The Army ranks" took place in the early 1980s.


Civil Services Army
Pay Grade Years required for Promotion Rank Years required for Promotion
Junior Scale On Appt 2nd Lt On Appointment
Senior scale 4 years (Incl Training Period) Lt 3 1/2 Years
Junior Administrative Grade 9 years Capt 7 1/2years
Selection Grade 13 Years Major 13 years
Higher Administrative Grade 14 years Lt Col 16 years
Higher Administrative Grade- Level I 18 years Col 20 years
Higher Administrative grades As per vacancy Brig, Maj Gen, Lt Gen



By a look at the above table you will feel that in the initial years the promotions in the army are faster whereas later the promotions in the civil services are faster. So what do I feel cheated about? Because the equation is not as given above but as given below:


Civil Services Army
Pay Grade Years for Promotion Rank Years for Promotion
Junior Scale On Appointment 2nd Lt, Lt and Capt
Senior Time scale 4 years(incl training period)Major 13 years
Junior Administrative Grade 9 years Lt Col 16 years
Selection Grade 13 Years Col 20 years
Higher Administrative Grade-Level II 14 years Brig 25 years
Higher Administrative Grade-Level I 18 years Maj Gen 32 years
Higher Administrative Grades As per vacancy Lt Gen As per vacancy


It for anyone to understand that the ranks in the armed forces have deliberately been degraded by equating first three ranks of the Indian army with the lowest pay grade of the civilian Group A services and by dividing the officers in the rank of Lt Gen into Army Cdrs and equivalent other Lt Gens.

The mechanism of the degradation can be clearly seen in Para 2.3.9 Page 73 and 74 of the "Report of the Sixth Central Pay commission where till Third Pay Commission the equation of the first four ranks of army was as follows:


Junior Scale 2nd Lt and Lt
Senior Time scale Capt and Major


And at the time of Fifth central Pay Commission as follows


Junior Scale 2nd Lt, Lt and Capt
Senior Time scale Maj


This is a clear evidence of deliberate degradation of ranks where till third pay commission four ranks were made equivalent to two pay grades and then between the third and fifth pay commissions the rank of Capt. was further degraded from Senior time scale to junior scale. Incidentally this was the same very period when all out efforts were being made improve the career prospects by upgrading the appointments.. And they have again done it by degrading the rank of Lt Col. The method is very clear. First down grade and then form "AVS Committees to Upgrade" so as to improve the career prospects of the officers of the Indian Armed forces. You may see the reason why the rank of 2nd Lt was abolished. Now to upgrade they may want to do away with the rank of Lt also.

There is very simple solution, equate the gazetted with the gazetted and non gazetted with the non gazetted i.e. equate JCOs with the Group B gazetted ranks and as far as armed forces Commissioned officers are concerned introduce the rank of 2nd Lt and give one rank one pay grade as is applicable to even the most unattractive Group A civil services department of Posts and Telegraph and the accounts department. The fair and just pay scales and pay grades should be as given below to bring the army ranks on par with the civil services


Rank Pay Band Grade pay
Sep PB-1 1900
Lance Naik PB -1 2400
Naik PB - 2 4200
Havildar PB - 2 4200
Nb Subedar PB- 2 4800 (5400 after 4 years)
Subedar PB -2 6400
Subedar Major PB - 2 6400
2nd Lt PB- 3 5400
Lt PB - 3 6600
Capt PB- 3 7600
Maj PB- 3 8700
Lt Col PB - 4 8900
Col PB- 4 10000
Brig PB -4 12000
Maj Gen 80000 Status Special Secretary to Government of India
Lt Gen 80000 Status Secretary to Government of India
Lt Gen (Army Cdr) 80000 Status Principle Secretary to the Government of India


Some of the bureaucrats will say that this will result in changing of the equation that has existed since pre independence days where Maj Gen and Brig is equated with IG and DIG. My answer is the IG and DIG that the Maj Gen and DIG were equated with are rechristened as DG and ADG today.

May I request the readers who agree that the armed forces deserve a better treatment to as well as the ex servicemen to pressurize the government in not listening to the bureaucracy by sending a post card stating "I too feel Cheated. Why this step motherly treatment to the armed forces" to the Prime Minister, Defence minister and their MPs.

Written by a Fourth generation, 24 year old Career Officer in the Indian Armed Forces, spurred by the report of the 6th pay commission and a heartless

Written by a Fourth generation, 24 year old Career Officer in the Indian Armed Forces, spurred by the report of the 6th pay commission and a heartless article written by a 'respectable' denizen of our great country in a national daily on the armed forces and the 6th pay commission.


How you play with us, did you ever see?
At Seven, I had decided what I wanted to be;
I would serve you to the end
All these boundaries I would defend.

Now you make me look like a fool,
When at Seventeen and just out of school;
Went to the place where they made 'men out of boys'
Lived a tough life …sacrificed a few joys…

In those days, I would see my 'civilian' friends
Living a life with the fashion trends;
Enjoying their so called 'College Days'
While I sweated and bled in the sun and haze…
But I never thought twice about what where or why
All I knew was when the time came, I'd be ready to do or die.

At 21 and with my commission in hand,
Under the glory of the parade and the band,
I took the oath to protect you over land, air or sea,
And make the supreme sacrifice when the need came to be.

I stood there with a sense of recognition,
But on that day I never had the premonition,
that when the time came to give me my due,
You'd just say,' What is so great that you do?'

Long back you promised a well to do life;
And when I'm away, take care of my wife.
You came and saw the hardships I live through,
And I saw you make a note or two,
And I hoped you would realise the worth of me;
but now I know you'll never be able to see,
Because you only see the glorified life of mine,
Did you see the place where death looms all the time?
Did you meet the man standing guard in the snow?
The name of his newborn he does not know...
Did you meet the man whose father breathed his last?
While the sailor patrolled our seas so vast?

You still know I'll not be the one to raise my voice
I will stand tall and protect you in Punjab Himachal and Thoise.

But that's just me you have in the sun and rain,
For now at Twenty Four, you make me think again;
About the decision I made, Seven years back;
Should I have chosen another life, some other track?

Will I tell my son to follow my lead?
Will I tell my son, you'll get all that you need?
This is the country you will serve
This country will give you all that you deserve?

I heard you tell the world 'India is shining'
I told my men, that's a reason for us to be smiling
This is the India you and I will defend!
But tell me how long will you be able to pretend?
You go on promise all that you may,
But it's the souls of your own men you betray.

Did you read how some of our eminent citizens
Write about me and ridicule my very existence?
I ask you to please come and see what I do,
Come and have a look at what I go through
Live my life just for a day
Maybe you'll have something else to say?

I will still risk my life without a sigh
To keep your flag flying high
but today I ask myself a question or two…
Oh India…. Why do I still serve you?

LIEUTENANT DID YOU DIE IN VAIN?

An article by Sarvar Bali, a budding journalist

LIEUTENANT DID YOU DIE IN VAIN?

I learnt about your demise from the ticker tape on one of the news channels,
last evening. It was a big encounter and a very fierce one at that. A
feeling of deep sadness enveloped me as I reflected on your youth which had
been sacrificed in Gurez Sector,in the line of duty. What does your death
mean?

By now your mortal body would be lying embalmed at the Base Hospital and
will be flown out of Srinagar later in the day,on its final journey to the
cremation ground in your native town or village.

You were too young to die,far too young! For whom and for what did you die
then? This question haunted me last night and I will attempt to answer you.

You were probably from a village or a small town of India. You were perhaps
the son of an army officer or JCO, or from an urban or rural civilian
background. You could not be from one of the big cities where iron has
entered the soul of our youth and where the only driving motivator is quest
for money in the surreal environment of the corporate world.

Why did you join the army? Of course to get a job. But than that is over
simplifying the question. You were possibly motivated by the traditions in
your family and clan,you were probably enthused by the sight of your elder
brothers,uncles or other men from your community in uniform,you were perhaps
enchanted by the cantonment life where you may have spent your growing
years.

As your body comes home, you will not get the adulations from the Government
which a soldier's body gets in the USA. Your name will not be read out in
any obituary reference in Parliament,as is done in the UK for all soldiers
who fall in combat in the line of duty.Your name will not be etched on any
national memorial because we do not have one! Symbolically you will become
the unknown soldier for the Nation, for whom the flame burns at India Gate,
but your name will not be etched there.The names engraved on that monument
are of the soldiers who died fighting for the British Indian Army and not
those who have made the supreme sacrifice for independent India! Can it get
more ironic?

But do not despair Lieutenant. Your comrades will do you proud! The
seniormost officer will lead the homage that your brother officers will pay
you before you leave the Valley of Kashmir one last time. Your unit
representatives will escort your body home. You will be carried to the
funeral pier draped in the flag for which you died fighting.The darkened and
tearful eyes of your grief-stricken mother and the stoic figure of your
father, benumbed by the enormity of this tragedy, will move even the most
cynical.

I do not know Lieutenant at what stage of the encounter you fell, mortally
wounded. But the fact that you were there on the lonely vigil across the
Line of Control in Gurez, is enough to vouch for your valour. Your unit and
formation commanders will see to it that you get the gallantry award which
you so richly deserve. In due time your father or your mother will be
presented the medal and parchment of your gallantry,which will be framed and
find the pride of place in your home.Time will dull the bitterness of this
tragic parting, which right now is the only feeling that engulfs your
parents and siblings, in its enormity.

Lieutenant you were lucky. You did not live long enough to get married and
leave behind a grieving widow. You did not live long enough to have
children. For when they would have come of age you would have seen in them a
cynicism towards the army for which you died. You will not see a young son
who thinks his father is a hero and wants to follow his footsteps in joining
the army only to be harshly dissuaded by his mother (or even father!) from
following a profession which ranks so low for the youth of our country. You
were lucky not to serve long enough to see the army getting belittled . You
did not live long enough to see the utter indifference and even disdain for
the army. Like you a large number of valiant soldiers laid down their lives
on the rocky heights of Kargil,fighting against self-imposed odds. Today it
is not even felt fit to publicly commemorate the anniversary of that
stupendous military victory,won by blood and gore,in a befitting
manner.

But do not despair Lieutenant. Your name will be etched for posterity in the
annals of your Unit and your Regiment. A silver trophy with your name
inscribed on it,will grace the center table of the unit mess.You will also
find your name in the unit Quarter Guard,where annual homage will also be
paid to you.The war memorials at the Formation HQ where you served and at
your Regimental Centre will proudly display your name for eternity.If you
joined the Army through the NDA, your name will be written in the Hut of
Remembrance through which each cadet will pass,paying homage before his
Passing Out Parade.

There will be an obituary reference to you from your comrades in the papers,
which will be flipped over by most but which will be read in detail by
people who have a connect with those who wear or wore the uniform.

As your parents head into the evening of their life,memories of your valour
will be their most precious possession. When ever your mother will think of
you her eyes will mist over but there will be more stars in them than you
ever wore on your shoulders.Your father may speak quietly about you but no
one will miss the swell of pride in his chest. For your siblings you will
always remain the real hero,and for that matter even for your community and
village. A school or a road may well be named after you and you will become
a part of the local folk-lore.

You died Lieutenant, because when the test came, you decided that you could
not let down your family,your clan and your comrades, who always expected
you,without ever saying so, to do your duty.You, Lieutenant, have done more
than your duty and made your memory their hallowed possession.

LIEUTENANT YOU DID NOT DIE IN VAIN!