7th CPC recommendation : Depression in Pension for Qualifying Service

Depression in Pension for Qualifying Service

10.2.29 Territorial Army personnel qualify for pension after 20 years of service. Those with qualifying service between 15 and 20 get a `depressed’ pension. The services have asked for this depression to be removed and for the complete earned pension be made admissible to Territorial Army (TA) personnel. To advance their case they have contended that TA personnel are governed by the same conditions and guidelines as are applicable to all other defence service personnel while calculating the pension. Therefore reducing their pension would create a lower category of personnel and an implied class system. The demand for this is to be done away with.

Analysis and Recommendations

10.2.30 The Commission, on perusal of the statutes governing the Territorial Army, notes that the qualifying ‘embodied’ service for a Territorial Army personnel may be continuous or rendered in broken spells. For calculating the total ‘embodied’ service, the break in service due to dis-embodiment is condoned but the period of break itself is not treated as qualifying service for pension. The five percent cut is only imposed on the pension of those JCO/ORs, whose qualifying, embodied service has been rendered in broken spells. The Commission observes that pension formulation is appropriate and finds no justification for a review of the existing arrangements with regard to pension of Territorial Army personnel.

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