MoD sends SSC proposal to FinMin

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 21

Senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and the Army today met to fine-tune the contours of the Army’s long-running proposal to increase the intake of short service commission (SSC) officers and correspondingly reduce the number of permanent commission or regular commissioned officers.

Sources confirmed to The Tribune that the meeting was scheduled at the level of Joint Secretary in the MoD and the officers of the Army’s wing dealing with the matter. It is learnt the first phase of the proposal to increase the intake of SSC officers has been sent to the Ministry of Finance. This will include a separate quantum of a lump-sum grant to SSC officers retiring after 10 years and 14 years of service. Besides, there will be adequate paid study leave for enrolling in professional colleges while in service.

The second phase of the plan, which includes giving ex-servicemen status and medical treatment facility, as admissible to regular officers, was discussed again today. The Army has suggested that all the additional benefits be announced in one go and not in phases. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is reportedly taking personal interest in the matter. The Tribune had reported in its edition today as to how the Army had proposed to make SSC a better option to reduce permanent commission officers.

Lt General Shakti Gurung (retd), a former Military Secretary, says, “The idea is to make SSC attractive with golden handshake and address the issue of cutting down on flab while reducing the level of dissatisfaction.”

The matter for having more SSC officers instead of permanent commission officers has been under discussion for the past six years. Last year in October, the MoD okayed some steps to change the entry schemes into the Army. The University Entry Scheme that allowed young graduates to gain entry directly was suspended. The technical commission after graduation has been reduced to just 80 cadets per year and is scheduled to be suspended in two years. In lieu of this, the technical entry after Class XII will be encouraged.

At present, the ratio between permanent commission and SSC is 4:1, or four-times that it should be. The Ajai Vikram Singh Committee envisaged a ratio of 1:1.1 between full-time regular officers and the support cadre, largely from the SSC. The Cabinet Committee on Security, in October 2008, had approved a reduction of regular cadre.