Shaurya Karanbir Gurung
Tribune news Service
New Delhi, November 22
Several paramilitary forces personnel are dejected over the Seventh Central Pay Commission’s (CPC) proposals as some of their crucial demands have not been appropriately recommended.
These demands are non-functional financial upgradation (NFFU), bringing the basic pay of Second-in-Command (2IC) officers on a par with the Indian Army’s Lt Col, improvement in the modified assured career progression (MACP) scheme and removal from the contributory pension scheme, wherein personnel have to contribute 10 per cent of their salary for pension accumulation.
The pay panel in its report has recommended that NFFU should be extended to paramilitary and defence forces, due to the promotional stagnation in their ranks, however, two members have not supported this. NFFU ensures when an IAS officer is posted at the Centre with a specific grade pay, the officers belonging to the batches of Organised Group A Services (OGAS) that are senior by two years or more to the IAS officer, and have not reached that particular grade pay, would be granted the same grade pay on non-functional basis from the date of the posting of the IAS officer at the Centre.
The paramilitary forces personnel are not satisfied as the report states, “The number of non-functional upgrades may be limited to two, as it is in the case with Organised Group ‘A’ Service. These two upgrades should, logically, be at the two levels just above those where the system of time-bound promotions ceases. These are also the stages at which the stagnation levels are high.”
“We feel a sense of betrayal as clauses added by the Seventh CPC’s recommendations dilute the NFFU recommended by the Sixth CPC. The Seventh CPC fails to understand that no time-bound promotion exists in paramilitary forces and are only vacancy based, unlike in the defence forces,” explained a paramilitary force officer.
The Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles had demanded that their 2IC be placed in Pay Band-4, like their counterparts, Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. The CPC has termed this demand as irrelevant.

Reasons for disappointment

Paramilitary personnel feel the Seventh CPC’s recommendations dilute the non-functional financial upgradation (NFFU) recommended by the Sixth CPC
The Seventh CPC fails to understand that no time-bound promotion exists in paramilitary forces and are only vacancy based, unlike in the defence forces
The CPC has termed the demand of placing their second-in-Command (2IC) officers on a par with the Indian Army’s Lt Col in Pay Band-4 as irrelevant