7th Pay Commission: Should other Central services officers get an IAS salary?

THE IPS, IRS, IRTS and other Central service officers may step up their demands of getting equal pay with that of an IAS or IFS officer, as the 7th Pay Commission is now examining a pay revision that may come into effect from April 1, 2016. Satya Prasant P, an Indian Revenue Service officer who had earlier voiced his concerns about the IAS hegemony, has in his personal blog made a strong pitch for equal salary for officers belonging to all services, appealing the 7th Pay Commission to end the existing distortion. Let’s first see how much more an IAS officer gets than that of officers belonging to other services:
In a highly analytical piece written in his personal blog satyaprasantp@blogspot.in, (Full Article)  Prasant estimates that an IAS or IFS officer in a month gets Rs 4,000 to 5,000 more than officers belonging to other services after four years of service though all pass the same competitive examination. The gap goes up to Rs 15,000–16,000 per month by 14th year and Rs 18,000-20,000 per month by 17th year of service, as IAS and IFS officers are accorded additional increments at 3% each over their basic pay at three grades i.e. Senior Time Scale (STS), Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) and Non Functional Selection Grade (NFSG). “The Transport Allowance and other Allowances are calculated as a percentage of basic salary or basic salary plus DA. So it is anybody’s guess as to what will be the difference in salaries being paid to an IAS/IFS officer and other officers belonging to other Services like IPS, IRS, etc. as a result of two additional increments being granted to IAS/IFS at three levels,” he adds.
Prasant argues that this discriminatory practice has its roots in the erstwhile British colonial administration when the Indian Civil Service (ICS) was an elite cadre of officers comprising predominantly the British nationals or Europeans that occupied top administrative positions. Post-Independence, IAS took ICS’ space.
Prasant concedes that those IAS and IFS officers who got selected before 1979 could be considered of higher merit than those selected for IPS and other Central services, as the former had to clear two additional optional subjects of master’s degree standard. But examination pattern got changed since 1979.  
Based on Kothari Committee recommendations of 1976, recruitment to IAS, IFS, IPS and other Central Civil Services was being made through a common civil services examination since 1979. “However, the edge enjoyed by the IAS/IFS over the other Services in respect of salaries is being continued even after 1979 citing one or the other reason,” Prasant writes.
In fact, the question of pay parity cropped up during the earlier pay commissions as well, but the demand was set aside mainly with an argument that IAS officers are still the best talent, and they are generally posted in small places in their initial career. Also, they face frequent transfers, and the pulls and pressures that they have to stand upto early in their career are much more intense. The following is an excerpt from the 6th Pay Commission report that argued why IAS officers should get a better pay: “The role of IAS is still very important in the overall scheme of governance. They have an important coordinating, multi-functional and integrating role in the administrative framework with wide experience of working across various levels in diverse areas in Government. They hold important field level posts at the district level and at the cutting edge at the start of their careers with critical decision making and crisis management responsibilities. The leadership function, the strategic, coordinating and integrative role at this level requires the best talent available. The existing position would, therefore, need to be maintained. It will ensure that IAS officers near the beginning of their career are given slightly higher remuneration vis-à-vis other services and act as an incentive for the brightest candidates to enter this service. This is essential as the initial postings of IAS officers are generally to small places, they face frequent transfers and the pulls and pressures they have to stand upto early in their career are much more intense. The slight edge in the initial stages of their career would, to an extent, neutralize these problems. The Commission, accordingly, is of view that the existing edge for IAS in the three grades viz. Senior Time Scale, Junior Administrative Grade and Non-Functional Selection Grade needs to be retained.”
But according to Prasant, it’s a myth that IAS officers are the best talent available among the candidates selected through civil services examination. And this myth is “perpetrated by the IAS lobby to gain an unfair advantage over the other sister civil services in the country”, he adds.
Analyzing the Service Allocation lists for the civil services examinations from 2005 to 2012, Prasant sums up like this: “All those candidates who are allotted IAS in the Civil Services Examination merit list are neither the toppers of that year’s exam nor the brightest of the candidates selected in that year.”
Further, he calls the 6th Central Pay Commission’s justification of a higher pay for IAS “by citing their initial postings to small places, frequent transfers and intense pulls and pressures” as highly self-contradictory.  Prasant retorts: “Initial postings of IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers are also to small places. The pulls and pressures on IPS officers are much more than on the IAS officers.  The frequent transfers are seen more in the case of IPS than in the IAS.  IPS officers are at the forefront of combating terrorism and naxalism, which are the biggest security threats the country is facing.  IPS officers are working overtime to ensure that public order is maintained across the country.  The majority of the Central Civil Services officers belonging to Services like IRS(IT), IRS(C and CE), IDAS, IDES, IRTS and the Indian Forest Service officers are posted in the moffussil towns during their initial years of service. Some of them are posted in the remotest areas of the country like Jammu and Kashmir, North-East, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, border areas, etc.”
So, will 7th Pay Commission look into this "inequality" and give equal pay to all officers across services? What is your take? Which side you are in?

A crown of political thorns:ROLE OF FOREIGN SECRETARY

The post of Foreign Secretary brings with it an aura of brilliance, political acceptability, high visibility and vulnerability. But staying in the position for a full term is a Herculean task

Every two years, sometimes more often, national media regales readers with stories on the making and unmaking of Foreign Secretaries. No other post, not even that of the Cabinet Secretary, attracts such national attention and interest. The post brings with it an aura of brilliance, political acceptability, high visibility and vulnerability. It is a position that legends are made on. But becoming Foreign Secretary and staying there for a full term is a Herculean task. There are also instances in which unsuspecting officers are plucked out of their comfortable perches in Beijing, Islamabad and Dublin and installed in the hot seat. Some are born Foreign Secretaries, some achieve the job and some have the job thrust upon them.

The glamour of being Foreign Secretary is not as real as it is made out to be. The pressures and tension emanating from above and below are such that the person can hardly savour either power or glory. As the interface between the bureaucracy and the politicians, he is buffeted by both constantly. The Foreign Service is highly competitive, if not combative. Its leader needs to have three pairs of hands, like gods and goddesses — one pair to implement orders from above, one to hold on to his/her chair and one to do work. Any slackening will bring instant retribution, often undeserved and unjust. Two years of such tension is the reward for brilliance, manipulation or chance — ways to secure the post. Former Foreign Secretaries are a happier lot than the incumbents.

“The making and unmaking of Foreign Secretaries will continue to baffle the public and frustrate aspirants and incumbents, but the method in the madness will surface over the passage of time”

Past appointments

Any analysis of past appointments will defy any theory about the selection of Foreign Secretaries. Seniority has been the decisive factor in the largest number of appointments. But there have always been ways to get around it by rearranging the jigsaw puzzle and placing senior people in attractive posts abroad. Merit, subjective at every stage, is a nebulous factor. The rank allotted by the Union Public Service Commission, by the most objective and diligent process, has been in play only in some cases. Instances of officers at the top swinging from one political ideology to another to earn merit are not rare. Good officers have fallen by the wayside and some have made it with poor credentials. But the past record of selection of Foreign Secretaries presents a picture of near-perfection in a majority of the cases. The percentage of aberrations is not higher than in the making of Prime Ministers or the selection of Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Complex picture

The unmaking of Foreign Secretaries presents a more complex picture. The most celebrated case was the unprecedented sacking of a Foreign Secretary at a press conference by the Prime Minister. The last straw in that case was a factual issue regarding whether the Prime Minister would visit Pakistan or not. The Prime Minister not only contradicted the Foreign Secretary, but also promised the nation a new Foreign Secretary. But it was well known that the chemistry between Rajiv Gandhi and A.P. Venkateswaran was not the best even before the latter was appointed Foreign Secretary. He was appointed because of his reputation and popularity in the service itself. “Let us have a bash at it!” Rajiv Gandhi is supposed to have said, while handing him the post. Venkateswaran’s removal was a foregone conclusion, and the favourite of the Prime Minister was all set to take over, but the heat of the moment forced the Prime Minister to appoint the senior most officer in the service in his place. That was the only time the Foreign Service openly revolted against a decision of the Prime Minister.

The removal of Jagat Singh Mehta by Charan Singh involved issues of foreign policy rather than personal predilections. Jagat Mehta’s rise from High Commissioner in Tanzania to Foreign Secretary was meteoric, primarily because of Indira Gandhi who discovered his potential. But her successors and finally she herself felt that his vision was not in keeping with the dictates of the times. Jagat Mehta anticipated much of the evolution of Indian foreign policy, like the reduction of rigidity of our nuclear policy and engagement with the United States and China. He had nothing against the Soviet Union, but his stress on other relationships set the Kremlin on fire and the heat was felt in New Delhi when the Soviet lobby took up the cudgels against him. The fiasco in Lusaka involving his candidature for the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth speeded up his removal, but it was done in a clandestine manner. He was repeatedly told that his letter of resignation was not accepted, but his successor Ram Sathe was informed of his new post through unconventional communication channels not accessible to the serving Foreign Secretary. Indira Gandhi herself cancelled a posting the previous government had promised him and he stayed on in the service as an officer on special duty, as a disciplined soldier, till he retired. His vindication came when Atal Bihari Vajpayee honoured him with a Padma Bhushan many years later.

The politically savvy and shrewd S.K. Singh fell victim to his own feeling of invincibility, which prompted him to make an enemy of Inder Kumar Gujral at a time when the latter’s rise was not anticipated by anyone. He tried to smooth ruffled feathers to work for the new dispensation, but he was quietly removed with the promise of a political appointment, which did not materialise till the Congress returned to power. Neither the climb to the precarious rock of bureaucratic heights nor the descent is an easy ride for anyone. The satisfaction and pride come only when the person gets back to earth unscathed and looks at the path traversed. The journey to the pinnacle of the Foreign Service has more than its share of storms and avalanches.

The most recent “curtailing” of a Foreign Secretary’s term and the appointment of another just two days before his retirement are illustrative of the mix of the many factors which lead to such decisions. Both of them are extremely competent and both, having benefited from political patronage, must accept its shifting sands. Bureaucrats, who get close to the political leadership, rise and fall with their mentors.

The added hazard is that the post of the Foreign Secretary is constantly under scrutiny because of his or her high profile and visibility. The making and unmaking of Foreign Secretaries will continue to baffle the public and frustrate aspirants and incumbents, but the method in the madness will surface over the passage of time.

Six-point plan to realise ‘Asian Century’ dream

 India has unveiled an ambitious agenda to elevate its ties with
China, with External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj announcing a
six-point proposal to jointly realise with Beijing, the dream of an
“Asian Century”. In her first engagement of the morning in the Chinese
capital, Ms. Swaraj said at the inaugural of the Second India-China
Media Forum that a six-point template can enrich the civilizations of
India and China in the modern era, resulting in the realisation of an
“Asian Century”.

Listing out the proposals in alphabetical order A-F, Ms. Swaraj
stressed that New Delhi-Beijing ties can reach the next level if both
sides enforce an “action- oriented approach and a broad-based
bilateral engagement”. She asserted that the two countries need to
achieve “convergence on common regional and global interests” and
“develop new areas of cooperation”. The two sides needed to “expand
strategic communication” and “fulfil the common aspiration to usher
and ‘Asian Century’,” Ms. Swaraj observed.

The visiting Minister announced that on the “boundary question” - anirritant in the relationship that triggered the 1962, Sino-Indian war- “my government is committed to exploring an early settlement”. Ms.Swaraj, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday night, after a stopover inKunming, one of the starting points of the China’s Maritime Silk Road
initiative and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economiccorridor, also observed that the foundation had been laid to take theSino-Indian “economic cooperation to a qualitatively new level”.

On its part, China acknowledged the Sino-Indian relations had entereda new period of “major-country relations,” a nuanced formulationreserved to describe Beijing’s ties with regional and global
heavyweights, including the United States. Also speaking at themedia-forum inaugural, China’s Jiang Jianguo, minister of statecouncil information office quoted former leader Deng Xiaoping as
saying that “only when China and India have developed will a real‘century of Asia’ will emerge.” He substantiated Beijing’s aspirationsby inviting India to participate in the Silk Road Economic Belt and
the 21 set century Maritime Silk Road—President Xi’s pet project toachieve Eurasian economic integration, based on a land and seatransportation network, complemented by a grid off energy pipelines,
fiber-optic highways, industrial parks and smart cities. “With the‘belt and road’ initiatives as wings, China wants to take off togetherwith the countries involved,” said Mr. Jiang. India has so far backedthe BCIM proposal that would connect Kolkata with Kunming-the capitalof Yunnan province, which is the gateway to three ASEAN countries:
Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. New Delhi also hosted a meeting of chiefnegotiators of the Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank,signalling India’s full support to a China backed initiative that islikely to help support President Xi’s Silk Road projects.

Yet, China’s forays in the Indian Ocean, including Sri Lanka andMaldives, are impeding New Delhi full support for the MSR. “Ourstrategic dialogue with China has to broaden and deepen to addressthese concerns,” a diplomatic source told The Hindu. In her addressMs. Swaraj promised “to make it easier” for Chinese companies to dobusiness in India, citing the establishment of two China-backedindustrial parks in India, as an illustration of Bejing’s support for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative to spur themanufacturing sector in India.

'Queen' wins big at Filmfare Awards 2015

Vikas Bahl's coming-of-age drama 'Queen' triumphed at the 60th Filmfare Awards, winning in key categories including best film, best director and best actress for its lead star Kangana Ranaut.

The film bagged six honours in total - best editing to Abhijit Kokate and Anurag Kashyap, best cinematography (Bobby Singh and Siddharth Diwan) and and best background score for Amit Trivedi.

Kangana, who saw off competition from Alia Bhatt, Madhuri Dixit, Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukerji and Sonam Kapoor in the best actress category, was not present to accept her award.

Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespearean tale 'Haider' closely followed 'Queen' with five wins which includes a black lady for Shahid Kapoor in the best actor category and best supporting honours for Tabu and Kay Kay Menon.

'Haider' triumphed in the technical categories as well, with Dolly Ahluwalia winning best costume designer and Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray topping the best production design list.

The lifetime achievement award was given to veteran actress Kamini Kaushal for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

Young star Alia Bhatt bagged the best actress (Critics) trophy for 'Highway' and Sanjay Mishra won the best actor (Critics) for his outstanding performance in 'Ankhon Dekhi', which also earned director-writer Rajat Kapoor the best story gong.

Kriti Sanon won best debut female award for 'Heropanti', while Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan won the best debut male award for 'Khoobsurat'.

NASA launches Earth-observing satellite

It is on a mission to track the amount of water locked in soil, which may help residents in low-lying regions brace for floods or farmers get ready for drought conditions.

A Delta 2 rocket carrying Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite was launched early Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on California’s central coast.

The satellite is on a three-year mission to track the amount of water locked in soil, which may help residents in low-lying regions brace for floods or farmers get ready for drought conditions.

NASA launch manager Tim Dunn said there were zero launch problems with the rocket, calling the Delta 2 a “workhorse.”

Once the satellite reaches the desired orbit 430 miles or 692 kilometers high, engineers will spend two weeks checking out the two instruments, which will measure moisture in the soil every several days to produce high-resolution global maps.

Scientists hope data collected by the satellite, the latest to join NASA’s Earth—orbiting fleet, will improve flood forecasts and drought monitoring.

At a news conference broadcast online, SMAP mission project manager Kent Kellogg said the launch went off without a hitch.

“This data will benefit not only scientists seeking a better understanding of our planet, climate and environment ... it’s a boon for emergency planners and policy makers,” said Geoffery Yoder, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for programs.

Currently, drought maps and flash flood guidance issued by the federal government are based on computer modeling. SMAP will take real-time measurements that can be incorporated into forecasts, said Dara Entekhabi, mission science team leader from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Besides the satellite, the rocket also carried three research nanosatellites for JPL, Montana State University and California Polytechnic State University. More than 100 university students took part in designing and building the tiny satellites known as CubeSats.

New proposed particle may help detect dark matter

The particle, which is proposed to have 0.02 per cent of an electron’s mass, does not interact with light and may not penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere but will be detected through a space experiment.

Researchers have proposed a new fundamental particle which could explain why no one has managed to detect the elusive ‘dark matter’ that makes up 85 per cent of the universe’s mass.

Dark matter is conjectured to exist as a consequence of its gravitational effects on stars and galaxies, gravitational lensing (the bending of light rays) around these celestial objects, and through its imprint on the Cosmic Microwave Background (the afterglow of the Big Bang).

Despite compelling indirect evidence and considerable experimental effort, dark matter has never been detected directly.

Particle physics gives clues to what dark matter might be, and the standard view is that dark matter particles have, researchers say, a very large mass for fundamental particles — comparable to that of heavy atoms.

Lighter dark matter particles are considered less likely for astrophysical reasons, although exceptions are known, and this research highlights a previously unknown window where they could exist and, with very general arguments from particle physics, derives some surprising results, according to researchers from the University of Southampton.

They have proposed a new particle that has a mass only about 0.02 per cent that of an electron.

While it does not interact with light, as required for dark matter, it does interact surprisingly strongly with normal matter.

Indeed, in stark contrast to other candidates, it may not even penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, researchers said.

Earth-bound detection is therefore not likely, so the researchers plan to incorporate searches into a space experiment planned by the Macroscopic quantum resonators (MAQRO) consortium, with whom they are already involved.

A nanoparticle, suspended in space and exposed directly to the flow of dark matter, will be pushed downstream. Sensitive monitoring of this particle’s position will reveal information about the nature of this dark matter particle, if it exists, researchers said.

“Our candidate particle sounds crazy, but currently there seem to be no experiments or observations which could rule it out,” said Dr James Bateman, from Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton and co-author of the study.

“Dark matter is one of the most important unsolved problems in modern physics, and we hope that our suggestion will inspire others to develop detailed particle theory and even experimental tests,” he said.

“At the moment, experiments on dark matter do not point in a clear direction and, given also that the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has not found any signs of new physics yet, it may be time that we shift our paradigm towards alternative candidates for dark matter,” said Dr Alexander Merle, co-author from the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany.

The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

current affairs

Leander Peas and his Swiss teammate Martina Hingis have won 2015 Australian Open mixed doubles title.

In the final they defeated Canadian-French team of Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic, in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3.

This is their first Grand Slam of the season. With this win Leander Paes clinched his 15th Grand Slam title.

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T Suvarna Raju has taken charge as chairman of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

He will be 17th chairman of HAL and will replace RK Tyagi’s following his retirement.

Earlier, in September 2014, Public Enterprises Selection Board had selected him from among five contenders to succeed Tyagi.

T Suvarna Raju

• He hails from a village in West Godavari district in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
• He had joined HAL in June 1980 as management trainee after graduating from IIT in Chennai.