Elephants in the MoD The Statesman 26 Feb 19
Elephants in the MoD 26 Feb 19
Recently I came across a poster which stated, ‘Getting work done in this office is like the mating of elephants. It is done at a high level with immense grunting and groaning as also it takes almost two years to produce results.’ These words aptly define the MoD. It has always moved at its own pace, never hurried, except when it directly impacts their own staffing or benefits. The last such case moved with alarming pace was the cadre review of the internal cadre of the MoD.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on the other hand, has been acting rapidly as far as the welfare and wellbeing of central forces under it are concerned, especially after Pulwama. Its speed of procurements is also satisfactory.
Immediately after the Pulwama attack, The MHA permitted air travel for all central force personnel posted in the valley and beyond. It also upgraded their Risk and Hardship Allowance level from R1H2 to R1H1. This implied that officers serving in such areas would now get an allowance of Rs 25,000 and others 17,300. The army remains in the earlier level of R1H2, which means an allowance of Rs 16,900 for officers and Rs 9700 for others. Thus, the forces which face the brunt remain below those who are deployed to support it.
In fact, the MoD should have acted first, but as usual like the proverbial elephant, they would wait for the army HQs to give a proposal, comparing it to the CAPFs, which would remain supressed for a few years, then be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance, which would turn it down. Had it been an allowance applicable to those posted in the ministry, it would have been cleared overnight.
The same was case with the grant of an added Military Service Pay (MSP) for the JCOs of the army. The army had demanded an increase to Rs 10,000 as MSP for JCOs, higher than that of jawans, since they remain a separate category, above jawans. It was a pending anomaly from the last pay commission. It was processed by the MoD to the MHA, where it was rejected. All has since been quiet on the western front, as it was not an allowance meant for MoD staff, in which case it would have been pushed to finality.
Why is it that the Home Minister can take decisions by himself on all financial matters concerning the CAPFs and the Defence Minister cannot? Is it because her bureaucracy does not permit her or the finance ministry considers the MoD incapable or is it only to harass the services, who would anyway perform and give the desired results? Even decisions which are within her portfolio are ignored and left pending for months as her staff delays processing cases. After all the MoD is staffed by proverbial elephants.
Over the years the MoD has been attempting to withdraw, deny, take over assets and appointments of service HQs and downgrade their status, rather than protect them. After all, why should it act otherwise as it considers itself a cut above, sitting on the high seat, desiring control and power without accountability, rather than performing what they were created to do. Like the proverbial elephant, case files are received, dumped in a corner, to be dusted and pushed ahead, if it does happen, after a long gap. These actions leave service HQs frustrated and angry, but as per protocol, nothing happens.
The defence minister can directly threaten service officers on matters pertaining to opening cantonments but has yet to haul up her own staff for behaving like proverbial elephants, delaying decision making and ignoring genuine demands of the armed forces. Thus far, no action has been taken on selection of defence attaches, withdrawal of objections in the Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU) and appointing a permanent chairman to the Canteen Stores Department, amongst other recently raised issues.
Inaction and an anti-military stance of the MoD have compelled service chiefs to approach the defence minister directly on multiple issues. They should have rather been devoting their time to handling matters of national security, but these now take a back seat as they battle for basic requirements and control over their services and institutions from the groping hands of the MoD.
Surprisingly, the nation is witnessing a change. For decades it was the CAPFs which yearned to be equated with the armed forces, claiming they perform the same task and in the same environment. At present, it is the armed forces now fighting for equation with the CAPFs. What a turnaround. The credit for this should go to the elephants in the MoD and its minister.
With the grant of NFU to the CAPFs, it is now allocated to all central services other than the armed forces. Thus, every other service would claim a higher seniority than their counterparts in the armed forces. This should have indicated to the MoD that it is now time to withdraw the appeal, but the elephant has still not moved.
The defence minister has ignored her primary task continuing with her earlier profile of being the party spokesperson, defending her party against attacks by the Congress on Rafale. While she remains involved there, her staff at the ministry continues to hold the armed forces to ransom, delaying decision making.
Presently, post Pulwama, the nation is looking at the armed forces to give a reply to the enemy. The Prime Minister has handed over the baton of retribution to them. While whatever they decide would be best for the country, has the government and the MoD thought that they too should grant the armed forces what is best for them. If you cannot make the armed forces superior to the CAPFs, at least do not lower their status making them the lowest in the rung. It is time the defence minister shows her mettle and for once hauls up her sleeping elephants in the ministry and grants the armed forces its due.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army