MoD says rank-parity of forces to stay

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Oct 27

Two days after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar ordered a cross-checking of facts on rank parity between officers of the three forces and civilians, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday issued a clarification saying there has been no “downgrading” of service officers.

The MoD said media reports had “erroneously” stated that the equivalence has been disturbed and status of service officers has been downgraded.

“It is clarified that there has been no down-gradation or any change in the existing equivalence of the service ranks whatsoever”, spokesperson for the MoD said. The existing functional equivalence as clarified in 1991 and further reiterated in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2005 has only been re-affirmed, the MoD said.

There have been reports in the media that the central government has issued a new order lowering the status of military officers with respect to their civilian counterparts in the Armed Forces Headquarters.

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The MoD said: “The present reiteration of rank equivalence, is only for matters of assigning duties and functional responsibilities as is already existing in different offices of the respective service headquarters of the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force having component of service personnel as well as Civilian officers”.

This has no bearing on civilian employees outside these offices of the service headquarters.

A circular issued on October 18 and reported in media said a Major General (Rear Admiral in the Navy and Vice-Marshal in the Air Force) was at the same level as principal director at the Armed Force Headquarters (AFHQ) Civil Service. Similarly, Colonel had been placed on the same level as joint director on a civil post.