Defence Ministry said no downgrading is done of armed forces compared to their civilian counterparts.
As the military seethes over a recent iteration on ranks, the government today stressed that there has been no downgrading of the armed forces in comparison with their civilian counterparts.
"It is clarified that there has been no down-gradation or any change in the existing equivalence of the service ranks whatsoever," the Defence Ministry said in a statement, asserting that the existing functional equivalence "as clarified in 1991 and further reiterated in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2005" has been reaffirmed.
The government's statement telegraphed that there would be no revisiting of
the rank-parity structure to address concerns of the forces, even though Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had assured a resolution in a couple of days.
"...The present reiteration of rank equivalence is only for matters of assigning duties and functional responsibilities as is already existing...It is reiterated that there is no change in the rank structure or the status of the Armed Forces personnel," said the government's statement.
Last week, in a letter circulated by the ministry, the rank equation between military officers and their civilian counterparts seemed to have been altered.
According to the order, a principal director with the Armed Forces Civil Services will be handled by a major general instead of a brigadier. A director-rank officer, earlier equated with a Colonel, will be ranked with a brigadier. A joint director will be handled by a Colonel, instead of Lieutenant Colonel.
Defence Ministry sources said the letter "does not relate to equivalence in any way - it is about financial powers and work responsibility within service headquarters."
Mr Parrikar on Tuesday said he would look into allegations that bureaucrats in his ministry attempted to downgrade the forces. But he clarified that his goal would be to ensure that functionality would determine his decision, not rank or status.
Objections have been expressed by the forces several times. The army had said in its letter in August: "We are categorically objecting to the systematic downgrading of Defence Officers in status/equivalence vis a vis civilian officers."