Pay Cut Order to Help Kashmiri Flood Victims Irks Army Officers

KL Desk

SRINAGAR

Indian army authorities order to cut a day’s pay to help the flood affected people of Kashmir has irked its officers, reported The Indian Express.

Record floods devastated lakhs of Kashmiris in the month of September 2014.

Indian Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh recently ordered a day’s pay-cut to contribute Rs 100 crore to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to help flood-affected people in Jammu & Kashmir.

Quoting sources The Indian Express reported that at least two Colonel-rank officers have recorded their objections on the order, or “signal”, received from the Army HQ on the pay cut. A third officer, who did not wish to be named, said that some of them are even contemplating legal action against the decision to “deduct a day’s pay without prior consent”.

Report said that while the Army chief had announced the contribution during the “At Home” function to mark Army Day on January 15, the “signal” communicating the pay cut was received by many at the formation-level later.

The report said that an Army spokesperson while reacting to this news said that “the contribution of one day’s salary by all Army personnel was not an arbitrary decision” and that obtaining “consent in writing from every member would be logistically impractical”.

“Contribution for such cases are purely voluntary,” the report said while quoting the spokesperson. “The formation commanders down the chain, COs of units and heads of battalions and institutions are consulted before any such decision is taken. Consent in writing from every member would be logistically impractical and by convention only verbal consent is taken.”

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