MoD rank parity sorted out

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 5

The Ministry of Defence today ended what was seen as “false equivalence” between civilian employees and armed forces. However, one part of the MoD order might require clarity.

The ministry said, “The letter dated October 18, 2016, on the issue of equivalence between armed forces’ officers and Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ) officers is withdrawn.” 

Sources said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, at a meeting to sort out the matter in the second week of December, was decisive and had issued instructions to withdraw the letter.

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The issue was first raised by The Tribune last October.

In the October 2016 letter, the AFHQ cadre had given itself a status higher than mandated. It had equated a Major General (Rear Admiral in the Navy and Air Vice-Marshal in the IAF) with a Principal Director at the AFHQ cadre. A Brigadier (Commodore/Air Commodore) was equated with a Director, a Colonel/Captain/Group Captain with a Joint Director.

The armed forces protested. The warrant of precedence (WoP) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs says the Maj Gen is equivalent to a Joint Secretary and a Brigadier to a Deputy Director General. Then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar ordered “rechecking of facts”.

The MoD in its letter today said the cadre restructuring of the AFHQ, as approved by the Union Cabinet, would be implemented. Designations will be created in consultation with the armed forces. Local designations assigned to armed forces and civilian officers stood withdrawn. The civilian cadre had been using self-given designations that were much higher than actual designations.

A paragraph in today’s letter will need clarity. It says: “Rendition of APAR, status quo ante is restored, ie, the position that existed prior to the issue of MoD letter dated October 18, 2016, shall prevail.” It seems the AFHQ will report to the armed forces and the immediate superior in the forces shall write the ACR. However, the APAR was amended in April 2015 and it mandated ranks in the forces as ACR authorities. So, will the April 2015 APAR be enforced?