Implementation of One Rank One Pension – PCDA Clarification

Amendment to PCDA Circular No.555 dated 04.02.2016 – clarification regarding implementation of OROP issued by PCDA

In order to address various procedural difficulty in the implementation of One Rank One Pension to Defence Pensioners PCDA has issued Ciruclar No. 557. ย This circular also amendsย maximum term of engagement for JCOs/ORs

One Rank One Pension - Clarification issued by PCDA on implementation
Circular No. 557

Dated: 17.03.2016

To,

OFFICE OF THE PR. CONTROLLER OF DEFENCE ACCOUNTS (PENSIONS)
DRAUPADI GHAT, ALLAHABAD- 211014

Subject: ย Implementation ย of ย โ€˜One ย Rank ย One ย Pensionโ€™ย ย pensioners.

Reference: This office circular No 555 dated 04.02.2016.

****************

A comprehensive list of maximum term of engagement for JCOs/ORs was enclosed asย Appendix-X to this office Circular No. 555 dated 4.2.2016 has been slightly amended as under:-

Rank

Period

For

Read

Naik (Regular Army)

1.6.1953 to 30.11.1976
1.12.1976 to 29.5.1998
30.5.1998 till date

22 years
24 years
26 years

20 years
22 years
24 years
Naik (DSC) 1.6.1953 to 30.11.1976

22 years

20 years
Hony captain (DSC) B ย low Exceptions – 5.72.1972 to 31.12.19 2 5.02.1972 to 31.12.1972

2.ย ย ย ย ย ย  ย Similarly, slightly amended comprehensive list of equivalence of ranks in the three services of ย Armed ย Forces ย is enclosed ย as ย Appendix ย โ€˜Yโ€™ ย to ย this ย Circular ย which ย would ย substitute ย theย Appendix-โ€˜Yโ€™ of the Circular No. 555 dated 04.02.2016.

3.ย ย PDAs have reported some difficulties on certain points while implementing the scheme of โ€˜OROPโ€™. Necessary clarification in the matter is as under:-

SI.
No.
Clarification required Clarification
1. In the absence of qualifying service, it would be extremely difficult to revise LFP/ SFP as per Circular No. 555? In case, any information regarding qualifyingย service, rank, group etc., is not available with PDAs, such cases may be referred to Pension Sanctioning Authorities concerned in the proforma ย enclosed ย asย  Annexure-โ€˜Aโ€™ ย to ย the Govt. Letter No. (1)/2014/D (Pen/Policy)-Part-II dated 3rdย  Feb, 2016. All PDAs are therefore, requested to send Annexure-A both in hard and soft copy by name to Shri Ram Ji Mishra, Sr. AO (Sangam Cell) on e-mail ID: [email protected]. ย Meanwhile, as an interim measure, if qualifying service is not available in case of family pension, minimum family pension rate payable for that particular rank and group w.e.f. 01.07.2014 (as per Circular No. 555 dated 04.02.2016) may be paid.
2. In ย the ย absence ย of ย Group/ ย Qualifying service, ย revisionย  asย  per ย Circular ย 502 wasย  done by revising family pension for the lowest group in the start of the table. Now in the present OROP orders, the tables start from 0.5 yrs and therefore ย cases where group/ย  Q.S. ย is not available cannot be revised. If the group of the service pensioner is not available in the PPOs/ Corrigendum PPOs, pension of lowest group (i.e. for group Y for the time being) for that rank and qualifying service may be paid until receipt of clarification from the PSAs concerned.
3. It ย is ย not ย clear ย whether ย the ย LTA ย is payable in one lump sum or 4 equal installments? Arrears on account of revision of pension and LTA from 1.7.2014 to 02.03.2016 shall be paid by the Pension Disbursing Agencies in four equal half-yearly instalments and not in lump- sum. However, all the family pensioners including ย thoseย  inย  receipt ย of ย Special/ Liberalized Family Pension and all Gallantry award winners shall be paid arrears in one instalment as per Para 17 of the Circular No.555 dated 04.02.2016.
4. PDAsย  ย findย  ย itย  ย extremelyย  ย difficultย  ย to identify HAG+ rank? The rank of Lt. Gen (HAG+) was introduced after 01.01.2006. Hence, rank of Lt. Gen (HAG+) ย isย  foundย  onlyย  inย  Post-01.01.2006 cases. In such cases, pay scale for that rank i.e. Rs. 75500-80000 is mentioned in the PPO. For Pre-2006 cases, pension of HAG will be payable to retired Lt. Generals, unless retired in the rank of Army Commander or equivalent. Same applies to equivalent ranks in Air Force and Navy.
5. Tables 97-101 give the revised pension payable ย inย  respect ย of ย Pre-01.06.1953 and State Forces pensioners. Whether familyย  pensioners ย of ย the ย above category (particularly State Force pensioners) are entitled for OROP revision and if so at what rates? Rates ย shown ย in ย Table ย No. ย 97-101 ย attached with Circular No. 555 are for Pre-01.06.1953 retirees. These tables are showing Service Element/ Service Pension rates. Cases of Family/ ย Disability/ย  War ย Injury ย Pension ย in ย r/o Pre-01.06.1953 retirees shall be submitted to this office for revision through Corr PPO. The same applies to State Forces pensioners.
6. No ย equivalence ย has ย been ย prescribed for Cadets? The Cadets are granted monthly ex-gratia and same is treated differently from pension and therefore, cases of Cadets are regulated separately as per the existing provisions. Hence Circular No. 555 is not applicable in case of Cadets.
7. Annexure ย E ย to ย F ย to Circular ย No. ย 500 dated 17.01.2013 gives the rates for revisedย  ย pensionย  ย payableย  ย toย  ย Pre-96 EC/SSCย Officers ย andย toย Post-96ย EC/SSC Officers. It is common table irrespective of Pre or Post- 96 retirees. Whether pension shall be revised for Pre-96 EC/ SSC Officers as per Table 5 & 6 of Circular 555? Asย ย  ย perย  ย ย Govt.ย ย  ย letterย ย  ย No.ย ย  ย 12(1)/2014/ D(Pen/Policy) ย  ย Part-IIย  dated ย 07.11.2015 โ€œOROP implies that uniform pension to be paid to the Defence Forces Personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.โ€

The pension of all past pensioners will be determined according to the above principle.

8. It ย is ย mentioned that ย Corr ย PPOs ย have been issued admitting pension for the rank of Lt. Col. In respect of Major with 21 years Qualifying Service. Then how to revise the pension for Major (post 96 cases) with 21 years Qualifying Service? All ย substantive ย Majors ย retired ย on ย or ย after 1.1.1996 but before 01.01.2006, who had completed 21 years of commissioned service and were granted pay of Lt. Col. as per Para 5(a) (iii) and 5 (a) (iv) of Special Army Instruction 2/S/98. Such Majors have been allowed the benefit of revision of pension as perย  rates of ย Lt.ย  Col.ย  under ย 6thย  ย CPC ย on the authority of GoI, MoD Deptt. of Ex-Service Welfare letter No. 1(13)/2009/D(Pen/Policy) dated 24th sept 2012. In these cases, Corr PPOโ€™s have been issued by concerned PSAs revising pension under 6thย ย  CPC. Pension of such Majors may also be revised as per the table applicable to Lt. Col. However, in case of any doubt, the case may please be referred to PSAs concerned for clarification.
9. Whether PDAs are authorized to revise the pension to Subedar Major granted ACP I & ACP II for the rank of Hony Lt and Hony Captain? In case ACP is granted, pension of next higher rank will be admissible to the pensioner.ย ย  In caseย ย  ofย  ย Subedarย  ย Majorย  ย whoย ย  gotย  ย ACP-I, pension may be revised for Hony. Lt. But it is not likely that ACP-II is granted to a Subedar Major, so if any case of Subedar Major with ACP-II comes into the knowledge, the same may be forwarded for clarification.
10. The ย difference ย between ย Artificer ย III-I and ย Artificer ย I, ย II, ย III ย may ย please ย be explained. The ย same ย has ย been ย reflected ย in ย revisedย Annexure-Y attached with this Circular.
11. Orders were issued vide Circular 456 dated 18.03.2011 for broad banding of disability element whereby disability element sanctioned at rates lower than 50% was brought up to 50%. In cases where broad banding has been carried out, it is not beneficial to revise disability at rates lower than 50%. As such no revision has been effected in suchย  ย casesย ย  andย ย  currentย  ย rateย ย  of disability element has been retained. It may be confirmed that this is in order. As ย already ย clarified ย in ย various ย circulars issued ย byย  this ย office,ย  the ย Disabilityย  Element shall be proportionately reduced for disability which is less than 100%.
Accordingly, in case of broad- banding of disabilityย  element, ย benefit ย of ย broad ย banding may ย beย  grantedย  to ย the ย individual. ย Further, Para-6ย ย  ย ofย ย  ย ibidย  ย GoI,ย ย  ย MoDย ย  ย letterย ย  ย dated 03.02.2016 may be referred to wherein it is stated ย that ย if ย the ย revised ย pension ย as ย onย 01.07.2014 works out to less than the existing pension as on 01.07.2014 in terms of these orders, the pension shall not be revised to the disadvantage of the pensioner.
12. Whether Qualifying Service (Q.S.) is to
be taken as actual or with weightage?
In ย Post-2006 ย retirees ย cases, ย weightage ย hadย been withdrawn from Qualifying Service. Therefore, the qualifying service mentioned in OROP table is actual qualifying service only. No weightage in qualifying service is to be allowed at all while extending the benefit of OROP in past cases. For example, if actual Q.S. was โ€˜qโ€™ years and weightage, if any, wasย โ€˜yโ€™ years, the pension indicated in the concerned table for โ€˜qโ€™ years only is to be paid to the pensioner.
 

13.

Whetherย  ย theย  ย amountย  ย mentionedย  ย in Column 22 of Table No. 7 is applicable to all category of pensioners? Column 22 of Table No. 7 is applicable to all NCs(E) of the three services i.e. Army, Navy & Air Force.

No. Gts/Tech/0167/XXII

Dated 17.03.2016

(NASIM ULLAH)

Asst. Controller (P)

 

APPENDIX โ€˜Yโ€™

A.ย  EQUIVALENCE OF RANKS IN THE THREE SERVICES OF ARMED FORCES

Indian Commissioned Officer (ICOs)

ARMY

NAVY

AIR FORCE
Lieutenant Sub Lt. Plt. Offr./ Flg Offr.
Captain Lt. Flt. Lt.
Major Lt. Cdr. Sqn. Ldr.
Lt.Col.(TS) Cdr. (TS) Wg. Cdr. (TS)
Lt. Col. (S) Cdr. (S) Wg. Cdr. (S)
Colonel (TS) Captain(TS) Group Captain (TS)
Colonel Captain Group Captain
Brigadier Commodore Air Commodore
Major General Rear Admiral Air Vice Marshal
Lt. General Vice Admiral Air Marshal
Lt. General (HAG+) Vice Admiral (HAG+) Air Marshal (HAG+)
Lt. General (Army Cdr.) Vice Admiral (FOC-in- C) Air Marshal (AOC-in- C)
DGAFMS —————– ——————-
Vice Chief of Army Staff Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Chief of Air Staff
Chief of Army Staff Chief of Naval Staff Chief of Air Staff

Note: The rank of Lt. General (HAG+) and equivalent exists only in Post 2006 cases.

B. ย JUNIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICERS (JCOs) AND OTHER RANKS (ORs)

ARMY

AIF FORCE

NAVY

Sepoy AC/ LAC Seaman- I & II and equivalent
Naik/ L Dafadar Corporal Leading Seaman & equivalent
Havildar/ Dafadar Sergeant Petty Officer/Mech-IV/Artificer-IV

—-

—-

Artificer-III-I/Mech-III-I
Nb Subedar/ Nb Risaldar/ Jamadar JWO CPO/ Chief Artificer / Chief Mech
Subedar/ Risaldar WO Master Chief Petty Officer- II
Master Chief Mech- II Master Chief Art- II
Sub Major MWO Master Chief Petty Officer โ€“ I
Master Chief Mech- I Master Chief Art- I
NCs(E) NCs(E), Tindal,
Head Tindal

Note: Recruits are equivalent to Sepoy (Lowest group)

C. HONORARY RANKS (JCOs)

ARMY

AIF FORCE

NAVY

Sub/Hony Lt

WO/Hony Fly. Officer MCPO-II/Sub Lt
Sub Maj/Hony Lt MWO/Hony Fly. Officer MCPO-I/Sub Lt
Sub/Hony Capt WO/Hony Flt. Lt. MCPO-II/Hony Lt
Sub Maj/Hony Capt. MWO/Hony Flt. Lt. MCPO-I/Hony Lt

Equivalent rank of three services of Armed Forces personnel has been given in Appendix Y (not as appendix Z as mention in above cited circular) and the same is slightly amended and uploaded to the website of this office.
Download PCDA Circular No. 557 dated 17.03.2016