Defence Correspondence Course-07

ESMERALDA PAYS HOMAGE AT THE WAR MEMORIAL

In a heartwarming gesture, the visiting Chilean Navy vessel BE Esmeralda, paid homage at the War Memorial at the Southern Naval Command Naval Base today. The Chilean Ambassador to India, His Excellency Mr Alfonso Silva and Captain Victor Zanelli Suffo the Commanding Officer of Esmeralda laid the wreath with the Chilean Naval Ceremonial Guard and Chilean Naval Band in attendance. Rear Admiral Sunil Lanba the Chief Of staff of Southern Naval Command was also present to witness the solemn ceremony. Earlier in a well contested foot ball match, the visiting team and the Indian Naval team shared the honours. Esmeralda, one of the largest and oldest sail ships in the world, would be berthed at Kochi till the 9th September.

HHOTO....His Excellency Mr Alfonso Silva, the Chilean Ambassador to India and Captain Victor Zanelli Suffo the Commanding Officer of Esmeralda paying homage at the War Memorial at Kochi

NOTIFICATION FOR SERVICE OFFICERS

The Ministry of Defence has notified the new paybands and other allowances on the basis of the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission for the Officers of the Armed Forces.

The Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) was set up by the Government of India by Resolution No. 5/2/2006-E III (A) dated 5th October, 2006 as amended by Resolution No. 5/2/2006-E III (A) dated 07th December, 2006 and 5/2/2006-E III (A) dated 8th August, 2007. The Commission submitted its report on 24th March, 2008. The report covered among other things, matters relating to structure of emoluments, allowances and conditions of service of Armed Forces personnel. Government have given careful consideration to the recommendations of the Commission relating to these matters in respect of Officers of the Armed Forces and have decided that the recommendations of the Commission on the matters aforementioned in respect of these categories of Defence personnel shall be accepted without any material change as a package with the following modifications:-

(i) Implementation of the revised pay structure of pay bands and grade pay, as well as pension, with effect from 01.01.2006 and revised rates of allowances (except Dearness Allowance/relief) with effect from 01.09.2008;

(ii) Fitment in pay bands would be based on the multiplication factor of 1.86 instead of 1.74 recommended by Sixth Central Pay Commission;

(iii) Payment of 40% of arrears in cash in the year 2008-09 and the remaining 60% in the year 2009-10;

(iv) Increase in the rate of annual increment from 2.5% to 3%;

(v) Grant of scale of Army Commanders (Rs 80,000 fixed) on non-functional basis to those Lt. Generals who are fit for promotion as Army Commanders, but overlooked due to lack of residual service of 2 years;

(vi) In case of existing Major General/Lt. General, Military Service Pay (MSP) to be taken into account notionally for fixation of pay on 1.1.2006 with actual benefits being admissible prospectively;

(vii) Grade pay of Major General/equivalent will be Rs. 10,000 and Lt. General/equivalent Rs. 12,000.

(viii) Placement of Colonel/equivalent and Brigadier/equivalent in the revised Pay Band-4 of Rs. 37400 - 67000;

(ix) Enhanced grade pay of middle level officers (from Capt./equivalent to Brig./equivalent) as suggested by Defence Services.

(x) Removal of Campus restriction for grant of Transport Allowance;

(xi) Grade pay to determine seniority of posts only within a cadre's hierarchy and not between various cadres;

(xii) The rates of Special Forces Allowance for Army and Air Force to be equated with Navy's Marine Commando Allowance.

The recommendation of the Sixth CPC relating to lateral shift of Defence Personnel to Central Para Military Forces would be examined separately.

Government have not accepted the recommendations of Sixth CPC regarding following issues:-

(a) Liberal 'severance package' for employees who want tQ leave service without pension with more than 15 years but less than 20 years service

(b) There should only be three closed holidays for Government employees.

(c) Flexi-hours for women employees and flexi-weeks for employees with disabilities.

General principles of fixation of initial pay in the revised pay structure as on 1.1.2006, fixation of pay of employees recruited on or after 1.1.2006, rate of increment in the revised pay structure and date of increment will be as in the Government of India Notification No. GSR 622(E) dated 29th August, 2008.

NOTIFICATION FOR PBOR

The Ministry of Defence has notified the new paybands and other allowances on the basis of the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission for the Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) of the Armed Forces.

The Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) was set up by the Government of India by resolution No. 5/2/2006-E III (A) dated 5th October, 2006 as amended by resolution No. 5/2/2006-E III (A) dated 07th December, 2006 and 5/2/2006-E III (A) dated 8th August, 2007. The Commission submitted its report on 24th March 2008. The report covered among other things, matters relating to structure of emoluments, allowances and conditions of service of Armed Forces personnel. Government have given careful consideration to the recommendations of the Commission relating to these matters in respect of Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) of the Armed Forces and have decided that the recommendations of the Commission on the matters aforementioned in respect of these categories of employees shall be accepted without any material change as a package with the following modifications:-

(i) Implementation of the revised pay structure of pay bands and grade pay, as well as pension, with effect from 01.01.2006 and revised rates of allowances (except Dearness Allowance/relief) with effect from 01.09.2008;

(ii) Fitment in pay bands based on multiplication factor of 1.86 instead of 1.74 recommended by the Sixth Central Pay Commission.

(iii) Payment of 40% of arrears in cash in the year 2008-09 and the remaining 60% in the year 2009-10.

(iv) Increase in the rate of annual increment from 2.5% to 3%;

(v) Removal of Campus restriction for grant of Transport Allowance;

(vi) Increase in Transport Allowance at the lowest level to Rs. 600 (from Rs. 400

in A-l/A class cities) and Rs. 400 (from Rs. 300 in other cities);

(vii) Grade pay to determine seniority of posts only within a cadre's hierarchy and not between various cadres;

(viii) Increase in Military Service Pay (MSP) of Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBORs) from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 2000 pm;

(ix) Grant of 3 ACP upgradation after 8, 16 and 24 years of service to PBORs;

(x) The rates of Special Forces Allowance for Army and Air Force to be equated with Navy's Marine Commando Allowance.

The recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission relating to lateral shift of Defence Personnel to Central Para Military forces would be examined separately.

The Government have not accepted the recommendations of Sixth CPC regarding following issues:-

(a) Liberal 'severance package' for employees who want to leave service without pension with more than 15 years but less than 20 years service.

(b) There should only be three closed holidays for Government employees.

(c ) Flexi-hours for women employees and flexi-weeks for employees with disabilities.

General principles of fixation of initial pay in the revised pay structure as on 1.1.2006, fixation of pay of employees recruited on or after 1.1.2006, rate of increment in the revised pay structure and date of increment will be as in the Government of India Notification No. GSR 622(E) dated 29th August, 2008.

NEW PAY SCALES OF DEFENCE FORCES OFFICERS

The Ministry of Defence has notified the new paybands along with grade-pay and Military Service Pay for Defence Forces Officers following the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission.

(in Rs.)

Post

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Service Pay #

Lieutenant / equivalent

15600-39100

5400

6000

Capt / equivalent

15600-39100

6100

6000

Major / equivalent

15600-39100

6600

6000

Lt. Col / equivalent

15600-39100

7600

6000

Colonel/equivalent @

37400-67000

8700

6000

Brigadier/equivalent @

37400-67000

8900

6000

Major Gen/equivalent

37400-67000

10000

Nil*

Lt Gen / equivalent

37400-67000

12000

Nil

Vice Chiefs and Army Cdr / equivalent

80000

(fixed)

Nil

Nil

Service Chiefs

90000

(fixed)

Nil

Nil

# No arears on account of Military Service Pay shall be payable.

* The element of Military Service Pay shall be taken on account for purposes of fitment at the time of promotion from Brigadier/equivalent to Major General / equivalent.

@ Colonels and Brigadiers to be placed in the Revised Pay Band IV (Rs. 37400-67000/-)

NEW PAY SCALES FOR MNS OFFICERS

The Ministry of Defence has notified the new paybands along with grade-pay and Military Service Pay for Military Nursing Service (MNS) Officers following the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission.

(in Rs.)

Post

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Service Pay #

Lieutenant / equivalent

15600-39100

5400

4200

Capt / equivalent

15600-39100

5700

4200

Major / equivalent

15600-39100

6100

4200

Lt. Col / equivalent

15600-39100

6600

4200

Colonel/equivalent @

37400-67000

7600

4200

Brigadier/equivalent @

37400-67000

8400

4200

Major Gen/equivalent

37400-67000

9000

Nil*

# No arears on account of Military Service Pay shall be payable.

* The element of Military Service Pay shall be taken on account for purposes of fitment at the time of promotion from Brigadier/equivalent to Major General / equivalent.

@ Colonels and Brigadiers to be placed in the Revised Pay Band IV (Rs. 37400-67000/-)

NEW PAY SCALES FOR PBORS OF THE ARMED FORCES

The Ministry of Defence has notified the new paybands along with grade-pay and Military Service Pay for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) of the Armed Forces following the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission.

Army

(in Rs.)

Post

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Service Pay#

X Group Pay *

Sepoy

5200-20200

2000

2000

1400

Naik

5200-20200

2400

2000

1400

Havaldar

5200-20200

2800

2000

1400

Nb Sub

9300-34800

4200

2000

1400

Subedar

9300-34800

4600

2000

1400

Sub Major

9300-34800

4800

2000

1400

# No arears on account of Military Service Pay shall be payable.

* X-Group Pay is payable only to the PBORs in X-Group.

Air Force

(in Rs.)

Post

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Service Pay#

X Group Pay *

AC/LAC

5200-20200

2000

2000

1400

Corporal

5200-20200

2400

2000

1400

Sergeant

5200-20200

2800

2000

1400

Jr Warrant Officer

9300-34800

4200

2000

1400

Warrant Officer

9300-34800

4600

2000

1400

MWO

9300-34800

4800

2000

1400

# No arears on account of Military Service Pay shall be payable.

* X-Group Pay is payable only to the PBORs in X-Group.

Navy (X-Group)

(in Rs.)

Post

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Service Pay#

X Group Pay *

Apprentice

5200-20200

2000

2000

1400

Artificer – V

5200-20200

2400

2000

1400

Artificer – IV

5200-20200

2800

2000

1400

Artificer III – I**

9300-34800

3400

2000

1400

Chief Artificer

9300-34800

4200

2000

1400

MCPO – II

9300-34800

4600

2000

1400

MCPO – I

9300-34800

4800

2000

1400

# No arears on account of Military Service Pay shall be payable.

* X-Group Pay is payable only to the PBORs in X-Group.

** Intermediate Scale not available in the Civilian side.

Navy (Y-Group)

(in Rs.)

Post

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Service Pay#

Seaman II / I

5200-20200

2000

2000

Leading Seaman

5200-20200

2400

2000

Petty Officer

5200-20200

2800

2000

Chief Petty Officer

9300-34800

4200

2000

MCPO – II

9300-34800

4600

2000

MCPO – I

9300-34800

4800

2000

# No arears on account of Military Service Pay shall be payable.

ARMY –NAVY GUNNERY TRAINING INSTITUTIONS AFFILIATE

The School of Artillery of the Indian Army at Deolali( Nashik) and INS Dronacharya, the Gunnery and Missile weapons training establishment of the Navy, signed the affiliation charter at INS Dronacharya Fort Kochi on 16 Aug 08. An impressive Parade jointly presented up by the Army and the Navy was reviewed by Vice Admiral Sunil K Damle, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command. The Parade was followed by a scintillating display of the Army and the Naval Bands. The ceremony was also witnessed by Lieutenant General BS Pawar, the Commandant of the Artillery School and Lieutenant General IJ Koshy, the Director General of the Artillery Corps.

During the ceremony a charter inscribed with the vision and blue print of the affiliation was jointly signed by the senior officers of the Army and the Navy. Mementos, flags and insignia were also exchanged between the Commandant of the Artillery School and the Commanding Officer of INS Dronacharya Captain Sanjiv Issar.

The affiliation of Indian Naval units and the Regiments of the Indian Army is a time honoured tradition that cements the spirit of jointmanship between the two professional forces. The close interaction that such affiliation initiates, serves to maximize the combat potential of the Indian Armed Forces at the time of reckoning. They also foster camaraderie and a deep understanding of each others customs and traditions. It would also help sharing of new operational concepts, training methodology, infrastructure and faculty. Previous instances of such affiliations between units of the Army and the Navy include the affiliation between INS Viraat with Garhwal Rifles, JAK LI regiment with INS Ganga, Maratha Light Infantry with INS Mumbai and more recently the Grenadiers with INS Beas. However, this is the first time that two premier training institutes are getting affiliated.

INS Dronacharya provides broad based and integrated training, in functions and responsibilities of Gunnery Officers and Sailors of the Indian Navy, and Coast Guard. The school achieves this through hands on practical exposure on live equipment, simulators and emulators. The School of Artillery of the Indian Army is a prestigious institution with a great legacy, having been established in the pre independence era. The institution serves as the seat of learning for all aspects of artillery warfare of the Indian army.

Defence PRO Wg Cdr Manish Gandhi passes away

The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Defence for Palam Area including the Western Air Command, Wg Cdr Manish Gandhi passed away on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. His mortal remains were consigned to flames with full military honours at the Brar Square Crematorium, this afternoon. Senior officials of the Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence, the Western Air Command, the Indian Air Force, a number of journalists, friends and relations paid their last respects to the Wg Cdr Gandhi before the funeral.

Wg Cdr Gandhi had joint the PRO Palam Officer on July 02, 2007. During the course of the last one year, he had endeared himself with the media fraternity with his affable and helpful nature. Even though his health was failing, he showed remarkable enthusiasm to project the image of Indian Air Force in the media, the most memorable being aircraft carrying relief aid to earthquake struck regions of China and cyclone hit areas of Myanmar. He was also instrumental in providing publicity to the reopening of the Dulat Beg Oldie airfield in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of more than four decades.

Born on 16 July 1966, Wg Cdr Gandhi was commissioned in the Administrative Branch of the Indian Air Force on 17 December 1988. He leaves behind his wife Rolly, son Rohan and daughter Ria.

INS DRONACHARYA TO BE AFFILIATED TO ARMY ARTILLERY SCHOOL

C.F.DILEEPKUMAR

INS Dronacharya, the premier Gunnery and Missile weapons training establishment of the Navy, is all set to be affiliated to the School of Artillery of the Indian Army at Deolali( Nashik). The affiliation ceremony parade scheduled on 16th August would be jointly reviewed by Vice Admiral Sunil K Damle, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command and Lt Gen PK Singh, the Colonel Commandant of the Corp of Artillery.

The affiliation of Indian Naval units and the regiments of the Indian Army is a time honoured tradition that cements the spirit of jointmanship between the two professional forces. The close interaction that such affiliation initiates, serves to maximize the combat potential of the Indian Armed Forces at the time of reckoning. Previous instances of such affiliations between units of the Army and the Navy include the affiliation between the JAK LI regiment with INS Ganga, Maratha Light Infantry with INS Mumbai and more recently the Grenadiers with INS Beas.

INS Dronacharya provides broad based and integrated training, in functions and responsibilities of Gunnery Officers and Sailors of the Indian Navy, and Coast Guard. The school achieves this through hands on practical exposure on live equipment, simulators and emulators. The School of Artillery of the Indian Army is a prestigious institution with a great legacy, having been established in the pre independence era. The institution serves as the seat of learning for all aspects of artillery warfare of the Indian army.

The affiliation between the two units is expected to benefit the two institutions through sharing of new operational concepts, training methodology, infrastructure and faculty. The event would also promote bonding between the two professions of arms and enhance the interaction between the Officers and Men of both the services at different levels. The area of professional interaction would primarily focus on Air Defence, Naval GunFire Support and Amphibious Operations in addition to training on small arms and land fighting. Captain Sanjiv Issar, Commanding Officer of INS Dronacharya is leaving no stone unturned in making the event a memorable one.

dileepcf@gmail.com

India’s Light Helicopter Contract Hits Turbulence, Rises

In 2003, India issued an RFP for 197 light helicopters to replace its Army’s aging fleet of Chetaks (Aerospatiale SA316 Alouette III) and Cheetahs (SE316B Alouette II). These helicopters are old designs, but they have consistently proven themselves in high altitude operations and remain useful. The Army Aviation Corps wanted new helicopters with better performance and support characteristics to perform a variety of armed light utility tasks, including ferrying loads of up to 75 kg to troops based at heights of 23,000 feet around Kashmir, the Siachen Glacier, et. al. Operation at these altitudes has traditionally been very challenging for helicopters, owing to reduced rotor lift in the thinning air.

Indian officials were discussing a deal worth between $500-$600 million to buy 60 helicopters outright, with the remaining 137 being built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Eurocopter’s AS550 C3 Fennec and Bell Textron’s 407 competed in the second and final round of summer trials, and as 2007 ticked toward a close, it looked like we had a winner. As often happens in India, however, the process ended up completely derailed. Now, there’s a new RFP – but inside lobbying from HAL has backed India off of its initial goal of 312 foreign helicopters…

......thanks to DID....(DEFENCE INDUSTRIAL DAILY)

UNION CABINET APPROVES CREATION OF POSTS FOR ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL

New Delhi: Sravana 02, 1930

July 24, 2008

The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the creation of 31 posts for the Armed Forces Tribunal paving the way for the creation of the proposed independent adjudicating forum for dispensing cost effective and speedy justice to the armed forces personnel. The posts include 1 of Chairperson and 29 posts of members for the Principal Bench at New Delhi and 8 Regional Branches. It also includes one post of Principal Registrar at the Principal Bench. The process for the setting up of the Armed Forces Tribunal gathered momentum after the Defence Minister Shri A K Antony assumed charge in October 2006.

The Principal Bench at New Delhi will have three courts and will have jurisdiction over High Courts in the State of Delhi. Similarly, the Chandigarh and Lucknow Benches will have 3 courts each. The Chandigarh Bench will have jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana, J&K and Himachal Pradesh. The Lucknow Bench will have jurisdiction over Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. The other locations for the Benches with one court each will be Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and Jaipur. The Kolkata Bench will have jurisdiction over West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The Guwahati Bench will have jurisdiction over Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The Mumbai Bench will have jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. While Kochi Bench will have jurisdiction over Kerala and Karnataka, Chennai Bench will look after Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Jaipur Bench will have jurisdiction over Rajasthan.

The setting up of the Armed Forces Tribunal will fulfill a long-felt need of the country's three defence services. Over 9,800 cases filed by Service personnel are pending before various High Courts. The maximum number of cases numbering 2487 will be transferred to the Chandigarh Bench while 2407 will be adjudicated by the Lucknow Bench. Two thousand three hundred and six (2,306) cases are proposed to be transferred to the Delhi Principal Bench.

The Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007 which was passed by the Parliament during the Winter Session of 2007 received the assent of the President on 25th December, 2007. The Act was notified on 28th December, 2007. It provides for adjudication or trial by the tribunal of disputes and complaints with respect to commission, appointments, enrolment and conditions of service in respect of persons subject to Three Services Acts as also for appeals arising out of orders, findings or sentences of court martial held under the said Acts and for matters connected with them. The Act came into force with effect from 15th June, 2008. The Tribunal will have original jurisdiction in service matters and appellate jurisdiction in court martial matters. The Chairman of the Tribunal will be a retired Judge of the Supreme Court or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court. The Tribunal will consist of 1 Chairperson, 14 judicial and 15 administrative members. The administrative members shall be officer of the rank of Major General or above in the Army or equivalent rank in the Navy or the Air Force with three years of service in that rank. JAG of three Services with at least one year of service as JAG shall also be eligible. The judicial member should be serving or retired judge of the High Court. All appointments to the Tribunal will be made in consultation with the Chief Justice of India. The Tribunal shall have powers to punish for its contempt.