IAS, non-IAS battle set for another round
TAKING A STAND Non-IAS officers demand fair representation in committee to be set up by cabinet on 7th pay panel’s proposals
The next round of the battle between IAS and non-IAS officers may just be round the corner.
Non-IAS officers — who are seeking parity with IAS officers — have decided to demand a fair representation in the committee to be set up to take a call on the seventh pay panel’s recommendations.
They want the edge that IAS officers have in career progression and compensation over their colleagues from other civil services to go.
The IAS, however, insist they not only scored more in the recruitment examination but also had a richer field experience.
The pay panel — that submitted its report to the government 10 days ago — was divided on this demand.
While panel chairman Justice AK Mathur backed parity between IAS and the two other All India Services, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Services, a second member, Prof Rathin Roy, wanted to end special treatment for any civil service. Vivek Rae, a retired IAS officer and member, insisted status quo be maintained.
The government has indicated an empowered committee of officers would be set up by the cabinet over the next few weeks to consider the panel’s recommendations. The cabinet will take a final call early next year on the basis of this committee’s recommendations.
A government official said the lack of unanimity within the pay panel had made the role of the proposed committee “very significant”.
When a similar panel was set up in 2008, IAS officers made up for eight of its 13 members.
“If the government follows the same format this time too, it is a foregone conclusion that the IAS would be able to block the pay panel’s majority recommendations on parity,” said a revenue service officer. The doctrine of necessity might require some IAS officers to be part of the panel, such as the expenditure secretary and the department of personnel & training, an IPS officer said. But there is no reason why other secretaries from the IAS should also make it to the panel.
“It would be a simple case of conflict of interest,” the officer said, particularly when the only pay commission member to oppose parity with the IPS or the central services was an IAS officer.
“We don’t think it was a coincidence,” he said.
A GOVT OFFICIAL SAID THE LACK OF UNANIMITY HAD MADE THE ROLE OF THE PROPOSED COMMITTEE ‘VERY SIGNIFICANT’