Sixth Pay Commission Report

The role pf a pay commission is to assess the compensation to be paid to various categories of employees of an organisation taking into consideration the nature of work done, the ever escalating cost of living, the rising aspirations of life, the risks involved in the job, etc. Whether the organisation can pay as per the recommendations or not should not be the prime factor in suggesting the recommendations because the organisation, anyway, has the right to accept partly, totally or reject it outrightly. While the paying capacity of the organisation should not be ignored, that factor alone should not dominate the panel's perspective. However, in the case of the Six Pay Commission, that appears to be the case, unfortunately. The Chairman once said that there is no point in recommending 100 rupees when the Finance Ministry can pay only 10 rupees. That's very unfortunate view considering the fact that the panel's composition is quite distinguished, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, a Professor from IIM, a Secretary level IAS officer, etc. The presence of the IAs officer should have contributed the view point of the Government as a whole than facilitate to preserve the edge enjoyed by the particular service the member belongs to! But, that's what happened, unfortunately! But, the amazing thing is the attitude of the other members including the chairman who is no less than the judge of the apex court, albeit retired. The panel has failed to hold a holistic view of the various services of the Union Goverment. Otherwise, there would not be such a large scale resentment over its report. In this context, what the Chairman said is of much significance. He said that he made a recommendation which is good for the nation. And he also said that its a report which will make a lot of people unhappy! If it makes a lot of people unhappy, how can it be good for the nation? And if its really for the good of the nation, why should it make so many people, including the Service Chiefs, so unhappy? And as if this is not enough, he added that a judgment which makes several people unhappy is necessarily a sound judgment! From where he learnt his logic is indeed baffling! Its written by somebody who is completely contemptuous of Govt. employees.


Unlike the view held by some people, particularly the media, a Govt. job is not exactly a cushy thing. Bureaucracy in India is so impersonal and insensitive, it takes no notice of the individual initiatives, aspirations and ideas of a vast majority of the employees. They all have to rot under a system that's so hierarchical that to measure an individual's performance is next to impossible. If its measured at all, only the boss gets recognition while the effort is from down below the line. So, where is the incentive for performance? In the districts, its the Collector who often gets publicity for the work done by others because the media pays its attention on the Collector alone. its often the Collector who decides which should get what ad and when. So, every journalist keeps him in good humour! And the district posting is dubbed as a hard posting! The Collector is given just one vehicle, but keeps 4 to 5 cars of other depts in his bungalow for the use of "madam" and children! He keeps a large number of retinue drawn from other depts to serve him and his family members! Its not there anywhere on record. The retinue continue to be shown as belonging to other depts and draw their salary from thier respective depts, but work in the Collector's bungalow because the Collector happens to be the Chairman or Head of almost every dept in the district. If using more cars than entitlement, more resources than entitlement, more men than entitlement, buying (with public money)expensive gadgets not at all entitled... If this is not corruption, what is? This is the case with each and every Collector. Absolutely no exceptions. For the sake of argument, if any consciencious person takes objection to this generalisation, the exceptions, if any, can be counted with the fingures of just one hand! No more. When we talk of corruption in this country, everybody has his own definition of corruption which conveniently exempts him from the charge! The taste the Collectors acquire in the districts for facilities far in excess of their entitlement is a disease that never leaves them! It follows them like a shadow! And this shameless service is the backbone of the Indian bureaucracy! And its they who shamelessly advocate an edge for themselves over all others and this advocacy finds easy acceptance from people like a judge of the Supreme Court and a Professor from IIM! What a farce is all this! Pay Commissions are usually headed by judges because it is assumed that they would be independent, impartial and adopt a holistic view. But, the this CPC is a complete negation of that. Its ironical that all the excercise done over several months involving crores of rupees of public money is spent so purposelessly! Its shocking that the Commission has not thought it fit to explain to the nation the factors that guided it in coming to the conclusions it did. In stead, some stories are planted with the help of gullible journalists who don't mind writing a biased story because that's what they do most of the time, anyway.

Is it not interesting that the only section which is not complaining about this report is the IAS? They got all they wanted. And worse, the Secretary of the Commission is today the Secretary, Expenditure in the Ministry of Finance. And she is expected to implement the modifications to a report to which she herself was a party in the first place. Its time the IAS is scrapped as a service and a unified Cilvil Service is put in its place. But, the political establishment won't do that because it suits their convenience very well to pamper a small section with all they want, give them unmatched power and get all their unreasonable things done.



Now, coming back to the theme of the subject, the Government must constitute a fresh panel with a 6 month time span to submit a report and this time, there should not be a judge of the Supreme Court or an IAS officer as members. Let some reputed NGOs be brought into the picture. Even politicians could have done a better job! Alternatively, let each Ministry have a separate panel to decide what its requirements are and then a body can be constituted to finetune those proposals to bring it into a structure. Still then, the pressure must be kept in full swing on the Government. Its strange that a Committe has been set up to look into the grievances of only the military and paramilitary issues. What about others problems? How many committes do we need at this rate? And again, these committes consisting of IAS officers? Its like giving key to the thief!



Is it not shocking that CCA is abolished? The cost of living in a city is known to all. True, several services and facilities are available, but these are far too expensive in a city in comparision to towns. Housing, transport, schooling, entertainment, living, etc are prohibitively expensive in Bombay than in Bulendshahar. There should have been a generous increase in the CCA than abolish it altogether. And a separate CPI for Central Govt. employees? Are they not part of the society as a whole? Why make such patently preposterous proposals? And, people wondered as to why the Govt is keeping silence when so many people are agitated? Perhaps as a double reply, 2 committees are set up, one for the military and another for other lesser mortals. But, the intriging thing is that both the committees are composed of IAS officers who are the prime offenders in this drama of the absurd. What can one expect from these throughbred, downright corrupt uncivil servants? They will go to any extent to preserve their edge and nudge others to a corner! The real question is what options do the aggrived personnel really have? Any ideas?