In a move to give Indian soldiers a good reason to smile this Diwali, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre is planning to release 10 per cent of their arrears before October 30 as part of “pending issuance” of the pay commission notification.
According to an ET report, the President has sanctioned payment of arrears on ad hoc basis. Arrears will be 10 per cent of the current drawn pay (including dearness allowance) for all soldiers.
This would mean, roughly, every soldier getting one month's salary as a sort of a bonus.
“The pay being drawn as on January 2016 would be reckoned for calculating of arrears. The amount so paid will be adjusted against the final computation of arrears on the revised pay scales,” the order sent to the three armed forces reads.
The move draws significance in wake of adverse reports blaming the government for scaling down the disability pension for the armed forces. Moreover, the political response to the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army on terror launch pads across the Line of Control seeking proof that the operation was actually carried out acted as another dampener for servicemen.
