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After the three armed forces, it is now the turn of the central police organisations (CPOs) and paramilitary forces (CPMFs) to raise a pitch for 'parity' in pay scales with their military counterparts.
With the government setting up a three-member ministerial committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to consider the armed forces' plea, the CPOs too have decided to seek a political intervention to resolve issues concerning their pay scales.
The chiefs of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Sashastra Seema Bal will meet home secretary Madhukar Gupta to submit a memorandum seeking a political decision on the lines of Mukherjee committee for inclusion of their 'second-in-command' rank officers in Pay Band-4, if the tri-services' Lieutenant Colonels and equivalents are included in this pay bracket.
The Pay Band-4 for Lt Cols is among the four 'core issues' raised by the Army, Navy and Air Force in the 6th Central Pay Commission and that led to Services refusing to implement the CPC, a decision taken by the Cabinet in August this year.
"The Director Generals of all the CPOs and CPMFs will present a memorandum to the home swcretary this week. We will urge Home Minister Shivraj Patil to request his cabinet colleague, Pranab Mukherjee, to include 'Second-in-Command' ranks also in Pay Band-4," home ministry sources told PTI on Wednesday.
"This request comes with a rider that such a plea from the CPOs and CPMFs be considered, provided armed forces' Lieutenant Colonels and equivalents are included in Pay Band-4," home ministry officials said.
The CPOs and CPMFs decided to make such a demand at a joint meeting of their DGs held last week, sources added.
These organisations also have a problem with the government's proposal to allow lateral entry into CPOs and CPMFs to armed forces' jawans and will "protest" against the proposal made in the CPC.
The CPC recommended the government to provide Army jawans -- who retire at an early age to keep fighting force fit for wars -- re-employment opportunities in the CPOs and CPMFs, but they would lose 50 per cent of their pension weightage if they opt for it. The government, however, is yet to approve this recommendation.
"The CPOs and CPMFs already have massive stagnation problem in personnel below officer ranks (PBORs). Our constables get promoted only after putting in around 20 years of service, whereas the Army's sepoy gets three promotions during the same period.
"If lateral entry of Army jawans is allowed into CPOs and CPMFs, the long wait for promotion of existing ranks will get longer, and the former would over take the latter in promotions. This situation would be unacceptable for the CPOs and this issue would be raised by the DGs' during their meeting with the home secretary," the officials added.
The CPOs and CPMFs had earlier given a presentation to the home ministry in this regard after the CPC recommendations were made public this March.