The Committee of Experts constituted for review of service and pension matters including potential disputes, minimizing litigation and strengthening institutional mechanisms related to redressal of grievances submitted its Report to the Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar here today. The five members Committee was constituted on the directions of the Defence Minister.
Committee of Experts Constituted on review of litigation has submitted its Report
The Committee thanked the Minister for taking a historic step for the first time to minimize litigation and grievances in the Ministry of Defence so that the focus could remain on the core issues of governance and administration. It also thanked Shri Parrikar for ensuring that there was no interference in the Committee’s functioning and for encouraging the panel to come up with honest, dispassionate and objective observations without fear or favour.
The Committee’s approach remained to identify practical on-ground solutions to reduce litigation, especially appeals, and steps towards reduction of heartburn, maintenance of harmony between employees and the establishment and balancing of rights of both parties which could lead to an increase in productivity and enable the Government to focus upon its basic responsibilities. The Committee has postulated practical, workable, reformatory and gradual solutions in its 509 page report encompassing 75 recommendations in areas concerning service and pension matters, discipline and vigilance issues, matters concerning promotions and confidential reports, military justice, issues related to civilian employees and other potential areas of disputes.
Showing utmost sincerity and seriousness towards such issues, it was the first time after independence that a step was taken in the Ministry of Defence personally by the Defence Minister for constitution of a panel of experts who went into great detail of all such issues.
The Members of the Committee were former Adjutant General Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal, former Military Secretary Lt Gen Richard Khare, former Judge Advocate General Maj Gen T Parshad, Advocate and expert in service jurisprudence and Member of International Society of Military Law Maj Navdeep Singh and Maj DP Singh.
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It was certainly an encouraging and laudable step taken by the Defence Minister to constitute the committe for suggesting steps to minimise the litigations within the Defence Ministry. If the suggestions of the committe are implemented, the officers and staff under the MoD would certainly be encouraged to give their maximum output for the sake of the country. Other Ministries in GoI should immediately follow suit to minimise the grievances in their organisations for better personnel management and administration.