Air Force Officers Pay Rules , 2017

Air Force Officers Pay Rules , 2017

[TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA PART-II SECTION 4] EXTRAORDINARY

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(Department of Defence)
NOTIFICATION

New Delhi, the 3rd May, 2017

SRO ———————– . In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 of the Constitution, the President hereby makes the following rules, namely:–

1.Short title and commencement.—

(1) These rules may be called Air Force Officers Pay Rules, 2017.

(2) They shall be deemed to have come into force on the 1st day of January, 2016.

2.Application:

(1) Save as otherwise provided by or under this rule, these rules shall apply to Air Force Officers who were on the effective strength of the Air Force as on the 1st day of January, 2016, and those who join the Air Force thereafter; and to trainee Officers who were undergoing pre-Commission training on the 1st day of January, 2016, and to those trainee Officers who join the service after that date.

Provided that these rules shall not apply to Officers of National Cadet Corps the Air Force Reserve and the Auxiliary Air Force and re-employed Officers.

3.Definitions :

In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-

• “existing basic pay” means the pay drawn in the prescribed existing Pay Band and Grade Pay or pay in the existing scale, but it does not include any other types of pay like Special Pay, Military Service Pay, etc
• “existing Pay Band and Grade Pay” in relation to an Officer means the Pay Band and the Grade Pay applicable to the rank held by the Officer as on the date immediately before the notification of these rules, in a substantive capacity;
• “existing scale” in relation to an Officer, means the pay scale applicable to the rank held by the Officer as on the date immediately before the notification of these rules including the Higher Administrative Grade, Higher Administrative Grade+, Apex Scale and that applicable to the Chief of Air Staff in a substantive capacity;

Explanation.— For the purpose of this clause, the expressions “existing Basic Pay”, “existing Pay Band and Grade Pay” and “existing scale”, in respect of an Officer who, on the 1st day of January, 2016, was on deputation out of Indian Air Force or on leave or on foreign service, or who would have on that date officiated in one or more lower posts but for his officiating in the higher post, shall mean such Basic Pay, Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale in relation to the rank which he would have held but for his being on deputation out of Indian Air Force or on leave or foreign service or as the case may be, but for his officiating in that post;

• “existing pay structure” in relation to an Officer means the present system of Pay Band and Grade Pay or the Pay Scale as per the Sixth Central Pay Commission applicable to the rank held by the Officer as on the date immediately before the coming into force of these rules, in a substantive capacity;
• “existing Military Service Pay” in relation to an Officer means the amount of Military Service Pay applicable to the rank held by him as on the date immediately before coming into force of these rules;
  “existing emoluments” mean the sum of (i) existing basic pay; (ii) existing Military Service Pay; and (iii) existing dearness allowance at the index average as on 1st day of January, 2016;
• “Pay Matrix” means the Matrix specified in Part A of the Schedule, with Levels of pay arranged in vertical Cells as assigned to corresponding Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale;
• “Level” in the Pay Matrix, means the Level corresponding to the existing Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale specified in the Part A of the Schedule;
• “pay in the Level” means the pay drawn in the appropriate Cell of the Level as specified in Part A of the Schedule;
• “Military Service Pay” in relation to an Officer means the Military Service Pay applicable to the rank held by him admissible on drawal of pay in the prescribed Level in the Pay Matrix;
• “revised pay structure” in relation to a rank means the Pay Matrix and the Levels specified therein corresponding to the existing Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale of the rank;
• “basic pay” in the revised pay structure means the pay drawn in the prescribed Level in the Pay Matrix;
• “revised emoluments” means the sum of (i) basic pay; and (ii) Military Service Pay;
• “Schedule” means a schedule annexed to these rules.

4.Level of ranks.

The Level of ranks shall be determined in accordance with the various Levels as assigned to the corresponding existing Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale as specified in the Pay Matrix and the Level in Pay Matrix corresponding to the rank of an Officer is specified in Part B of the Schedule.

5.Drawal of pay.— (1) Save as otherwise provided in these rules, an Officer shall draw pay in the Level in the revised pay structure applicable to the rank to which he is appointed in substantive capacity:

Provided that an Officer may elect to continue to draw pay in the existing pay structure, until the date on which he earns his next or any subsequent increment in the existing pay structure, or until he ceases to hold his rank or ceases to draw pay in the existing pay structure.

Provided further that in case an Officer has been placed in a higher grade pay or scale between the 1st day of January 2016 and the date of notification of these rules on account of promotion or upgradation, the Officer may elect to switch over to the revised pay structure from the date of such promotion or upgradation, as the case may be.

Explanation.— (i) For the purposes of this clause, the option to retain the existing pay structure under the provisos of this rule shall be admissible only in respect of one existing Pay Band and Grade Pay or scale.

(ii) The aforesaid option shall not be admissible to any Officer commissioned on or after the 1st day of January, 2016, and he shall be allowed pay only in the revised pay structure.

2 .Air Marshals who are fit for promotion as Air Officer Commander-in-Chief but overlooked due to lack of requisite residual service will be granted pay in Level 17 on non-functional basis and this non-functional upgradation will count for all the financial benefits associated with Level 17, but shall not count for other privileges associated with office of Air Officer Commander-in-Chief.

3.(i) Military Service Pay is compensation for the various intangible aspects linked to the special conditions of service in Air Force, extended to Officers in the Air Force upto and including the rank of Air Commodore.

(ii)Military Service Pay shall be admissible to Officers on drawal of pay in the prescribed Level in the Pay Matrix, at the rate of Rs. 15,500 per month.

(iii)Military Service Pay shall be counted as pay for the purpose of computation of dearness allowance and pension.

6.Exercise of option.

(1) The option under the provisos to rule 5 shall be exercised in writing in the form appended to these rules so as to reach the Air Force Central Account Office New Delhi within one hundred and eighty days of the date of notification of these rules, or where revision in the existing pay structure is made by any order subsequent to the date of notification of these rules, within one hundred and eighty days of the date of such order.

Provided that,-

in the case of an Officer who is, on the date of such notification or, as the case may be, date of such order, out of India on leave or deputation or foreign service or active service, the said option shall be exercised in writing so as to reach the Air Force Central Account Office New Delhi within one hundred and eighty days of the date of his taking charge of his post in India; and,

where an Officer is under suspension on the 1st day of January, 2016, the option may be exercised within one hundred and eighty days of the date of his return to his duty, if that date is later than the date prescribed in this sub-rule.
2.The option, along with an undertaking in the form appended to these rules, shall be intimated by the Officer to the Air Force Central Account Office New

3.If the intimation regarding option is not received by the Air Force Central Account Office New Delhi within one hundred and eighty days of the date of notification of these rules, the Officer shall be deemed to have elected to be governed by the revised pay structure with effect from the 1st day of January,

4.The option once exercised shall be final.

Note – 1 Officers whose services were terminated on or after the 1st day of January, 2016 and who could not exercise the option within the prescribed time limit, on account of discharge on the expiry of the sanctioned strength, release, resignation, dismissal or discharge on disciplinary grounds, are entitled to exercise option under sub-rule (1).

Note – 2 Officers who have died on or after the 1st day of January, 2016 and could not exercise the option within the prescribed time limit, are deemed to have opted for the revised pay structure on and from the 1st day of January, 2016 or such later date which is beneficial to their dependents, if the revised pay structure is more favourable and in such cases, necessary action for payment of arrears shall be taken by the Directorate of Air Veterans (for Air Force Officers).

Note – 3 Officers who were on Annual Leave or any other leave as on the 1st day of January, 2016, which entitled them to leave salary, shall be entitled to exercise option under sub-rule (1).

7.Fixation of Pay in the Revised Pay Structure.—

(1) The pay of an Officer who elects, or is deemed to have elected under rule 6 to be governed by the revised pay structure on and from the 1st day of January, 2016, shall, unless in case the President by special order otherwise directs, be fixed in the following manner, namely:—

the pay in the applicable Level in the Pay Matrix shall be the pay obtained by multiplying the existing basic pay by a factor of 2.57, rounded off to the nearest rupee, and the figure so arrived at shall be located in that Level in the Pay Matrix, and if such an identical figure corresponds to any Cell in the applicable Level of the Pay Matrix, the same shall be the pay, and if no such Cell is available in the applicable Level, the pay shall be fixed at the immediate next higher Cell in that applicable Level of the Pay Matrix.

if the minimum pay or the first Cell in the applicable Level is more than the amount arrived at as per sub-clause (i) above, the pay shall be fixed at the minimum pay or the first Cell of that applicable Level.

Illustration:

1.	Existing Pay Band :PB–3	Pay Band   15600-39100   Grade Pay   5400   6100   6600   Levels   10   10B   11 1. 56100 61300 69400 2 57800 63100 71500 3 59500 65000 73600 4. 61300 67000 75800 5. 63100 69000 78100 6. 65000 71100 80400 7. 67000 73200 82800 8. 69000 75400 85300
2.	Existing Grade Pay :5400
3.	Existing Pay : 16880
4.	Existing Basic Pay [(2)+(3] : 5400+16880= 22280
5.	Pay after multiplication by a fitment factor of  2.57 [(4) x2.57] : 22280 x 2.57= 57259.6(rounded off to57260)
6.	Level corresponding to Grade Pay 5400 (PB–3) : Level 10
7.	Revised Pay in Pay Matrix (either equal to or next higher to 57260 in Level 10)57800
8.	Revised Pay in Pay Matrix: 57800

2.In case of Officers in the Medical and Dental Branches in Air Force in respect of whom Non-Practicing Allowance is admissible, the pay in the revised pay structure shall be fixed in the following manner:

• the existing basic pay shall be multiplied by a factor of 2.57 and the figure so arrived at shall be added to by an amount equivalent to Dearness Allowance on the pre-revised Non-Practicing Allowance admissible as on 1st day of January, 2016 and thereafter the figure so arrived at shall be located in that Level in the Pay Matrix and if such an identical figure corresponds to any Cell in the applicable Level of the Pay Matrix, the same shall be the pay, and if no such Cell is available in the applicable Level, the pay shall be fixed at the immediate next higher Cell in that applicable Level of the Pay Matrix.
• the pay so fixed under clause (i) shall be added by the pre-revised Non Practicing Allowance admissible on the existing basic pay until further decision on the revised rates of Non Practicing allowance.

Air force pay rules