The Indian Army and the Controller General of Defence Accounts have together made a significant breakthrough in addressing long-standing claims, amounting to a substantial sum of Rs 400 crores for Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Other Ranks (OR).
On Sunday, sources in the defence establishment have confirmed “this milestone was achieved during the month of September as part of Phase 1 of this concerted effort, with a total of Rs 730 crores being disbursed. Work is in progress for the next phase scheduled for October.”
In a united front, the Army Headquarters and the CGDA, responsible for overseeing the Defence Accounts Department, embarked on a nationwide campaign to resolve the backlog of claims for JCOs and ORs across the country.
“This initiative, which began at the outset of the month, was steered by the Joint CGDA (Grievances) from the CGDA office, setting up camps in all 48 Pay and Account Offices. Simultaneously, the Indian Army activated their Records Offices to give precedence to processing these cases,” explained sources in the defence establishment.
The Process
Records Offices, an integral part of the Army’s infrastructure, are entrusted with verifying the accuracy of claims. Once vetted, these claims are forwarded to the Pay & Accounts Offices, which are under the jurisdiction of the CGDA and generally located in close proximity to the Records Offices. With one such office for each Regiment, Arm, or Service across India, there are a total of 48 such establishments.
The push for this joint effort arose from numerous grievances voiced by JCOs and ORs who had experienced delays and obstacles in having their claims approved. In response to these concerns, the CGDA and the Joint CGDA (Grievances) collaborated closely with the Indian Army to methodically review each case through their respective PAOs.
A series of measures were implemented to expedite the processing of claims, particularly those related to Children Education Allowances, House Rent Allowances, Pay Fixation cases, and more. To streamline this endeavor, a dedicated War Room was established within the CGDA to closely monitor the progress. The positive impact of this initiative has already been felt by a large number of JCOs and ORs, and it is set to continue in the future.
