Constituted in February last, the 7th Pay Commission was scheduled to visit J&K for study and report. This had to be postponed owing to extraordinary circumstances created by recent floods in the Valley. However, the Commission will be visiting Ladakh region on 12th of October for four days to take stock of the issues vis-à-vis service conditions and pay structures confronting the personnel of defence forces in the region. It is scheduled to visit forward areas along the Line of Actual Control with China, and the places earmarked so far are Chumur, Demchok, Turtuk, Siachen Base Camp and Daulat Beg Oldi etc areas of Ladakh to take stock of the hardships being faced by the personnel of Army, Air Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police in performing their duties in such difficult terrains.
Two things are notable. First, the Commission is physically visiting the forward areas along the inhospitable region of Ladakh bordering with China. This means the members of the Commission will have a personal experience of the hard and difficult conditions under which our soldiers, officers and defence personnel have to render service in the shape of defence of the border. Generally Parliamentarians who sit in Delhi and deliberate on border defence issues in the parliament are not fully and personally conversant with the conditions under which our soldiers have to perform their duty. The second notable thing is that the Commission will interact face to face with the soldiers, officers, airmen and BSF personnel who network defence strategy in the region. We often read in newspapers of Chinese troops trespassing into our side of the border several miles inside and thus try to provoke Indian security forces to retaliate. There are long commentaries in the newspapers and more often than not the Government is held responsible for one or the other fault or shortcoming in defence preparedness.
No doubt there are many difficulties and anomalies in the pay structure and service rendering in regard to defence personnel posted in this difficult region. It is simple logic that soldiers fighting in such a mountainous terrain where communication and connectivity are far less rewarding than in any other part of the country, have to be treated differently from others in defence services. The fact is that Government sources are already informed on how the soldiers and officers will react to the inquiries to be made by the Commission, the question of make a strong case for the soldiers on the basis of ground realities and see to it that the recommendations made by the 7th Pay Commission mitigate their complaints. This is evident from the terms of reference handed over to the Commission, viz. the pay panel is required to examine, review, evolve and recommend changes that are desirable and feasible regarding the principles that should govern the emoluments structure, concessions and facilities/benefits as well as the retirement benefits of the personnel belonging to the defence forces with due emphasis on the aspects unique to these personnel. This is a good indicator that the Government is already seized of the issues that will come up for consideration.
Our security forces have been deployed in Ladakh region right from the day of independence in 1947. So many things have happened during the past seven decades and more. Ordinarily, one imagines that the authorities should have already made re-visiting the service conditions and pay structures and other facilities and perks to the soldiers deployed in these areas much earlier. We are hopeful that the Commission will have the unique opportunity of being present physically at the site in Ladakh, hear the grievances of the armed personnel, put questions and elicit answers and finally submit a balanced and realistic report that would serve the interests of the defence personnel and the national interests as well. The Commission comprises very senior and experienced members and the defence personnel expect that their interests will be safe in their hands.
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