Serving and retired officers of key paramilitary forces like the CRPF and BSF have approached the Delhi High Court to seek directions for grant of non-functional financial up-gradation.
While the Department of Personnel and Training has issued notification providing for grant of non-functional pay up-gradation, the Government is yet to accord the benefit to Group A officers of the paramilitary force.
The Central Reserve Police Force, the world's biggest paramilitary force, has approximately 4,000 officers out of which about 3,500 are in Pay Band 3 and for these officers only 782 posts are available in Pay Band 4. Given the limited number of posts in PB 4, promotions to higher posts for cadre officers have become rare.
Induction of cadre officers was done in an unscientific manner over the years without any due regard for the career prospects of the officers and in violation of the instructions of the Union Public Service Commission or the DoPT that are responsible for the management of Group A cadre.
While the CRPF Rules framed in 1955 specifically provide for conditions of service, cadre regulations for inclusion of officers in General Central Service Group A (earlier class I), the officers have not been granted an organised service status.
Way back in 1993, the DoPT had in its third edition of its monograph included CRPF officers as part of the Central Group A Service. The DoPT had subsequently published the monograph in 2004, 2005 and 2008 classifying the CRPF Group A executive cadre as a regularly constituted service.
Former CRPF IG VPS Pawar said the Government wants to keep the group A cadre unorganized for the time to come as it has not been accorded 'organised service' status leading to unscientific management of cadre.
"The non-declaration of Group A executive cadre as an organised service formally has resulted into unplanned (over and under) recruitment, stagnation at various levels, particularly in the rank of Deputy Inspectors General and Inspectors General, uncertain career progression and stressful service conditions due to non-availability of appropriate deputation, probation, training and leave reserves and ultimately compromising operational efficiency," Pawar said.
Interestingly, medical officers of the CRPF and other paramilitary forces who only form an ancillary service to aid and support the personnel in the department have been granted the benefits of Dynamic Assured Career Progression.
According to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the grade pay decides the status of an officer and denial of non-functional financial up-gradation is highly discriminatory. The DoPT through an office memorandum issued on April 24, 2009 accorded non-functional pay up-gradation and was consequential to the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission and depriving these benefits to the officers cannot be justified, said Pawar who along with other officers, has moved a petition before the Delhi High Court seeking non-functional up-gradation to officers.
Besides, Pawar's petition, two separate petitions for similar relief have been filed by serving officers of CRPF, two by BSF officers and one by ITBP officials.
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