Monday, May 4, 2009

HAG + for Vice Admiral's

Dear Members,
A modified brief based on the inputs from Maj Navdeep Singh on the issue of grant of HAG+ is attached for your info please.

Regards

Vice Admiral Harinder Singh (retd)
President

NFDCC 26, Sector 23, Noida 201301Tel 0120-2412412, 9811668776
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Lieutenant Generals and HAG+,

The placement of 33% Lt Generals in HAG+ has both upsides and downsides. However some of the anger against the move is misplaced. Some clarifications are given below.

True : Only 33% Vice Admirals and equivalent would be promoted to HAG+ Also True. Yes, only 33 Vice Admirals would be able to attain HAG+. The fact is that at any given point of time, only 33% of total number Vice Admirals (excluding Army Commanders and equivalent) would be placed in HAG+.
As the top Vice Admirals retire, the ones junior down the chain shall get placed in HAG+ by seniority. Hence ultimately, in the present situation , most of the Vice Admirals sholuld retire from HAG+ and the percentage should further go up with time.

Common Belief : HAG+ is applicable only to Vice Admirals of the X Branch and the Govt should have (and could have) granted HAG+ to all Vice Admirals. Reality : There is no discrimination between Branches. All Vice Admirals can be placed in HAG+ by seniority.
The HAG+ is a promotional upgradation from HAG with a minimum amount of residency period required in HAG in consonance with the respective service rules. There is no service under the Govt where an officer can move up from SAG level directly into HAG+ and there is no service or cadre wherein 100% officers of the HAG are promoted to HAG+. The number of officers moving up from HAG to HAG+ in every service remains quite low.
There is no practice anywhere in the govt of placing all officers of a cadre in HAG+. Common Belief : The 6th CPC had lowered the status of Vice Admirals and the placement of 33% Vice Admirals HAG+ is not a rectification of that anomaly

Also True : The 6th CPC has not tinkered with the status of Vice Admirals. Even after the 5th CPC, Vice Admirals were lower than DsGP in pay. The following was the pay equation of Three Star officers of the IPS and the Defence Services post-5th CPC which was continued by the 6th CPC : Addl DGP = Vice Admirals DGP Selected DGP CPOs = Vice Admirals (Cs in C) After placement of 33% Lt Gens in HAG+, following is the situation now : Addl DGP = Vice Admirals DGP = Vice Admirals (top 33%) Selected DGP CPOs / DGP (One Cadre post) = Vice Admirals (Army Commanders )

Comments. While some officers have argued (and in a sense rightfully so !!) that the Military should have refused the 33% offer, it is also true that if we do not accept the 33% figure, it would have resulted in all Vice Admirals remaining below DsGP. It was nothing or something, and in such a situation, ‘something’ may have been a better choice by the services - while the scope of further improvement always remains.

In the ultimate analysis, this should be better than shutting the door once and for all. Also, now, Vice Admirals in HAG+ shall now be equated with Special Secys to Govt of India. Other Issues

(a) Pension for pre-2006 Vice Admirals who retired from the erstwhile HAG remains a grey area and Services Headquarters will have to deliberate this issue with the govt. Ideally, the pension of retired Vice Admirals should also be fixed at HAG+ level since from now onwards almost all are going to retire in that grade.

(b) The issue of some Corps Commanders of the Army being in HAG while DsGP of States being in HAG+ needs to be addressed from an operational point of view. However as far as the status equations are concerned, the Warrant of Precedence (amended till 2008) is very clear on this aspect. In the WoP, a Vice Admiral features in Article 24 followed by DsG CPOs on Article 25 while State DsGP are not even listed on the WoP.

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