By an existing Government order, Lt. Colonel and their equivalent in Armed Forces and Deputy Secretary and their equivalent in Civil Services are equal in status, rank and pay. This balance has been subverted by the Government in flagrant violation of the provision of the Constitutional postulates of Equality Before Law Without Discrimination under Article 14 and Equality of Opportunity under Article 16 of the Constitution of India. Without disturbing the pay parity, the Government can always give the defence officers higher allowances to compensate them for the job they do.

The action of the Government has resulted in a wide spread discontentment, resentment and demoralization in the middle rung civil bureaucracy, which is seen as a subversion of the rule of the law and the Constitution. After all, country's governance is the rule of the law based where there is no scope for arbitrary or colourable exercise of power.

Middle level officials of the Deputy Secretary rank in Junior Administrative Grade down the line unto the peon (messenger) comprise 75 per cent of the total work force. A comparison of their pay structure before and after the Sixth Pay Commission reveals that officials of the rank of Deputy Secretary and below have benefited by about 20 per cent in pay excluding 16 per cent dearness allowance, which was even otherwise due, whereas the pay of Director, Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary has gone up by 150 per cent, 50 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

The Government of India and its Anomalies Committee have been addressed to look into such a wide disparity and take corrective measures to give a uniform pay raise and equal opportunities of promotion to all its employees.

Accordingly, various services associations have addressed Prime Minister's Office pointing out a wide spread discrimination and resentment among Deputy Secretary rank officers. It has been emphasised that by a Government of India order, Lt.Colonel and their equivalent in Armed Forces are placed on par with Deputy Secretary and equivalent officers in civil services. This not only disturbs the pay parity but also parity in status. It has also been pointed out that mostly Deputy Secretary and Joint Director were drawing higher pay than Directors. The disparity gives a difference of more than Rs.10,000 to Directors over Deputy Secretary and Joint Directors. When other allowances like dearness allowance and house rent allowance are included differences increase by 50 per cent.

UT Independent has learnt that Deputy Secretary/Joint Director and Director are divisional heads assigned identical duties with similar responsibilities and accountability, and the posts are interchangeable. Performance and nature of duties in respect of Deputy Secretary/Joint Director have been ignored totally and their Fundamental Rights to Equality Before the Law with Equality in Opportunities guaranteed by the Constitution of India vis-à-vis their counterparts Lt. Colonel and equivalent officers in defence services violated with impunity.

It is also learnt that until the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations with effect from January 1, 2006, the difference between Director and Deputy Secretary/Joint Director was of 20 per cent only with a mere Rs.25 difference in the annual increment, whereas since January 1, 2006, the difference is 150 per cent thus creating a huge gap in the salaries and allowances compared to what existed during pre-January 2006 between the two posts. Neither the Sixth Pay Commission nor has the Government, while accepting the recommendations, given any justification for such steep gap between the salaries and allowances of the two posts. It is learnt from the official sources that the post of Director, which is non-functional, was created to avoid stagnation at Deputy Secretary/Joint Director level.

The Deputy Secretary/Joint Director, who form backbone of the Government, work in various Central Services and other isolated and non-cadre posts. It is expected that in a spirit of accommodation to avoid confrontation and to uphold the rule of the law based governance, the Government would give them their due. This would go a long way in avoiding demoralization and discontentment on the one hand and litigation, on the other.

A cross section of Group B officials told this tabloid that the Government has done little for uplifting their pay and promotions.

Meanwhile, the Government in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, by an office order issued on May 21, 2009, has announced that all officials of Group A organised Central Services, who have put in 16 years of Class 1 services, would be entitled to pay of a Director. This has been done to bring near parity with IAS in Central Services Group A. This will enable even Junior Time Scale officer, who has not got promotion on account of non-holding of Departmental Promotion Committee for other reasons, get the salary of a Director. This would step up his pay doubly from what he gets at present.#