MSP, Promotion, OROP, Disab Pension – Jawans are deprived : Veterans Agitated at Jantar Mantar

The Discrimination in MSP Jawans and officers

As we have already seen that thousands and lakhs of veteran jawans/JCOs are in agitation protesting the discriminative policy in pay and allowances and pension of Indian Armed Forces between officers and jawans. After interaction with the veterans, it has been found that there are sufficient cause to be agitated with the discriminated policy.

Jawans in the Indian Army Navy and Air Force have demanded equal MSP (Military Service Pay) with officers because they believe that they deserve equal pay for their service and sacrifices. MSP is an additional payment that is given to all military personnel, in addition to their basic pay, to compensate them for the hardships and risks involved in military service.

The demand for equal MSP came about because there was a significant difference in the amount of MSP paid to officers and jawans. It was first introduced in 6th CPC and the amount for Officers was Rs 5500 and for Jawans/JCOs upto the rank of Sub Maj, it was Rs 2000 only. While officers were receiving a higher amount of MSP, jawans were receiving a lower amount, despite both being equally exposed to the risks and hardships of military service.

Jawans argue that they are the backbone of the Indian Army and that they are the ones who are on the front lines, facing the enemy and putting their lives on the line. They feel that they deserve equal recognition and compensation for their service and sacrifices, and that the current disparity in MSP is unfair and unjust.

The demand for equal MSP has been a long-standing issue in the Indian Army, and it has been raised by jawans on several occasions. While there has been some progress in addressing the issue, there is still a long way to go to ensure that all military personnel receive fair and equal compensation for their service and sacrifices.

Court Case by Jawans for equal MSP

Veteran Jawans have already filed a court case in Delhi High Court demanding Equal MSP and the hearing of the cases are in progress since long. In addition, a long protest has been started from 20 Feb at jantar mantar demanding the equal MSP and other removal of other discrepancies in Indian Armed forces between Commissioned Officers and Personnel below Commissioned Officer Ranks.

Time bound promotion for officers only ?

Not only MSP, hard and risk related other allowances are also several time higher in case of commissioned officers. Promotion of Commissioned officers are fixed as afterputting only 3 years of service they got promotion to Capt, after 6 years Major, 13 years- Lt Col, 17 Yrs Col (TS) etc. In case of jawans, there is no such time bound promotion scheme as a result after putting 17 yers of service, jawans are still retired with the rank of Sepoy and used to get a very little amount of pension which is insufficient for livelihood at the age of 40 while a sepoy is discharged.

Little or no increase in pension with OROP for Jawans

Even though, OROP benefit is also made highly beneficial to Commissioned Officers. They got an increase in their pension not less than Rs 12,000/- but in case of Jawans most of the veterans got no increase due to OROP since 2019.

Huge difference in Disability pension of officers and Jawans

Disability pension for Jawans are only 5-6 thousand whereas officers get 40-50 thousands. There is So much difference caused discrimination and agitation among the jawans.

Agitation of Jantar Mantar started from 20 Feb for a long period which is again specially rising on 12th March with all the above issue.

Statement in support of Higher MSP for Officers

In support of higher rate of MSP and other payments/allowances, the commissioned officers have expressed the following :

The Military Service Pay (MSP) is an additional payment made to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces as compensation for their unique job requirements and responsibilities. The MSP is intended to provide financial support to military personnel for the hardships they face in their line of duty, such as prolonged separation from family, frequent transfers, and exposure to dangerous situations.

The MSP for Army officers is higher than that of Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Other Ranks (ORs) because officers hold higher ranks and have greater responsibilities. They are required to lead and command troops, make critical decisions, and ensure the effective functioning of the military unit. Officers also undergo a longer period of training and education, which is necessary for them to assume leadership positions.

Additionally, officers are expected to maintain a higher standard of living and set an example for their subordinates. This requires them to bear additional expenses such as mess bills, house rent, and other incidental charges. The higher MSP for officers helps to offset these additional expenses and ensure that they are adequately compensated for their service.

It is important to note that the MSP is revised periodically based on the recommendations of the Pay Commission and other factors such as inflation and cost of living. The current MSP rates are determined by the 7th Central Pay Commission and were implemented in 2016.

After all, it is expected that the Indian Govt must will take care the moral of the jawans which is backbone of a military organisation, must ke kept high. So, a rational decision should be taken to redress the grievance of the Jawans and put an end of the discrimination.