The Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), that comprises the three service chiefs, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, has written to defence minister A.K. Antony asking for full representation for the armed forces in the Seventh Central Pay Commission amid indications that the armed forces may not be in favour of a separate pay commission for themselves.
Sources said the IAF Chief is of the view that full representation for armed forces in the Central Pay Commission would be more beneficial to the armed forces than a separate pay commission for the military since adequate representation for the military in one Central Pay Commission would be better placed at addressing the issues of parity between the armed forces and the civilian bureaucracy.
It remains unclear at this stage, however, whether the government will announce a separate pay commission for the armed forces to avoid any controversy at a later stage.
It may be recalled that in 2008, the armed forces had alleged several discrepancies in the Sixth Central Pay Commission report regarding salaries for armed forces personnel following which the government had set up a committee to look into the grievances. Speculation had been rife then that the government could in future set up a separate pay commission for the armed forces to avoid any controversy.
There has been a feeling in the armed forces that there has been a steady erosion of parity between armed forces personnel and the civilian bureaucracy and that the situation has worsened with every pay commission report.