CRPF officers move court for pay panel benefits

 CRPF officers move court for pay panel benefits 
Vijay Mohan/TNS

Chandigarh, March 17
There seems to be no end to disillusionment over non-implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. Several years after the pay panel’s recommendations were notified, a large number of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers have moved court, demanding that they be brought under the ambit of the provisions of non-functional upgradation (NFU), which would enhance their pay-scales and bring them at par with other central government officers.

In a petition filed before the Delhi High Court, which came up for hearing this week, CRPF officers have pointed out the lack of promotional avenues for the force’s Group-A executive officers as well as “ad-hocism and unscientific management” of their cadre.

CRPF sources said the NFU affects officers across the board and the petitioners in this case includes officers up to the rank of Inspector General of Police. “Similar petitions have also been filed by officers from other paramilitary forces and the issue of the NFU affects about 7,000 paramilitary officers,” an officer said. “While almost all central government employees have been extended the benefit of the NFU, only the uniformed services, including the armed forces, have been left out,” he added.

The NFU was introduced to remove stagnation in cases where officers are unable to get promotion in due course. Under its provisions, whenever an IAS officer gets empanelled at a particular post in the Centre, all other Group-A service officers in Payband-3 and above shall also be moved up to the same pay level after a period of two years from the date of empanelment. The upgradation of other officers shall not have any functional effect, but only result in a higher pay without any enhanced status.

According to the petition, CRPF officers have been denied the NFU by the government in 2012 on the grounds that the provision is applicable to those Group-A officers who are placed under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS), whereas CRPF cadre officers are neither placed under the CSS, nor do they come under organised Group-A services. In 2010, however, the recruitment rules for the CRPF were notified by the Home Ministry and the same year, the Department of Personnel and Training confirmed that CRPF cadre of Group-A posts stands as one of the central Group-A service.

Further, the petition contends that the pay panel’s recommendations were “twisted” to allow in more IPS officers on deputation at the top level in the force, thereby reducing the vacancies for CRPF cadre officers.

A high-powered committee set up under the aegis of the Cabinet had also examined the issue of extending the NFU to the armed forces. The committee had submitted its observations and recommendations to the Prime Minister’s Office in August 2012 and action on the same is still pending.