NDA Salary: Basic Pay, Allowances & Perks After 7th Pay Commission

NDA salary per month is INR 56,100 during the training period. After joining NDA, candidates get the starting salary. Over the time, the NDA salary increases based on the experience and performance. NDA salary per month for Lieutenant is between INR 56,100-1,77,500. The highest NDA salary for Officer is INR 2,50,000 per month for the Chief of Army Staff. The month-wise NDA salary is given below:

• Captain: INR 61,300-1,93,900
• Major: INR 6,94,00-2,07,200
• Lieutenant Colonel: INR 1,21,200-2,12,400

The salary that candidates will get after completing their course in NDA is given below. Lt to Major: Lt: Level 10 (56100-177500) Capt: Level 10 B (61,300-193900) Maj: Level 11 (69400-207200) Lt Colonel to Major General: Lt Col: Level 12A (121200-212400) Col: Level 13 (130600-215900) Brig: Level 13A (139600-217600) Maj Gen: Level 14 (144200-218200) Lt Gen AG Scale: Level 15 (182200-224100) HAG + Scale: Level 16 (205400 224400) VCOAS/ Army Cdr/ Lt Gen (NFSG): Level 17 (225000) (fixed) COAS: Level 18 (250000) (fixed). .

The highest NDA salary of an Officer is Level 18 which is INR 2,50,000. This salary is offered to Chief of Army Staff. The highest salary varies for different posts. The salary for the post of Lieutenant is INR 1,77,500 per month. The salary for Major General is INR 2,18,200 per month.

Aspirants are always interested in knowing NDA salary while preparing for the exam. The salary provides details regarding the compensation that employees get after joining NDA. The stipend given to the Gentlemen Cadets during training is INR 56,100. After the successful training, the NDA salary of the Officer Commissioned will be fixed in the first Cell of Level 10.

The NDA Cadets receive a fixed stipend of INR 56,100 per month during the training duration. An IAS Officer may earn between INR 56,100 and INR 2,50,000 annually as salary.

NDA grade pay depend on the post to which they are selected. NDA salary is based on the 10th pay scale as per 7th pay commission. NDA grade pay for different posts is given below.

NDA Rank	NDA Grade Pay (in INR)
Captain	6,100
Major	6,600
Lieutenant	5,400
Lieutenant Colonel	8,000
Brigadier	8,900
Colonel	8,700
Major General	10,000

The insurance policy given to NDA officers is given below:

• Army Group Insurance Fund is a compulsory contributory group scheme, which provides insurance cover for INR 15 Lacs on payment of one time non-refundable premium of INR 6,400 for 3 years paid from the date of joining NDA till completion of training
• In case of relegation, an additional premium of INR 1,160 per relegated term will be paid immediately on occurrence
• For those who are invalided out from NDA by IMB on account of disability and not entitled to any pension will be provided INR 7.5 Lacs for 100 per cent disability
• This will be reduced to INR 1.5 Lacs for 20 per cent disability
• For less than 20 per cent disability, only an Ex-Gratia Grant of INR 50,000 for initial year of training and INR 1 Lacs during the last year of training will be paid.
• At IMA, at the time of stipend, the Gentlemen cadets are provided insurance cover of INR 75 Lacs with a monthly contribution of INR 5,000 (with effect from October 1, 2016 as per maint AGI scheme as application to regular officers).
• Those who are invalidated out from IMA by IMB on account of disability and not entitled to any pension will be provided INR 25 Lakhs for 100 per cent  disability.
• This will be reduced to INR 5 Lacs for 20 per cent disability.
• For less than 20 per cent disability, only an Ex-Gratia amount of INR 50,000 for initial year of training and INR 1 Lacs during the last year of training will be paid.

The monetary benefits given to NDA Officers in case of mishap are given below:

In case of disability

• Monthly Ex-gratia amount of INR 9,000 per month.
• Ex-gratia disability award of INR 16,200 per month
• Constant Attendant Allowance (CCA of INR 6, 750 per month for 100 per cent disable on the recommendation of Invaliding Medical Board (IBM).

In case of death

• Ex-gratia amount of INR 12.5 Lacs to the NoK.
• The Ex-gratia amount of INR 9,000 per month to the NoK.
• The Ex-gratia awards to Cadets (Direct)/NoK, will be sanctioned purely on ex-gratia basis and the same should not be treated as pension for any purpose.

On successful commissioning in Army, candidates are given the rank of Lieutenant. In Navy, candidates are given the rank of Sub Lieutenant. In Air Force, candidates are given the rank of Flying Officer. The starting NDA salary of an Officer is INR 56,100. This is the stipend offered to the candidates during the training period and the minimum salary that a Lieutenant gets. It keeps on increasing as per the level of the post.

Based upon rank and area of posting, the officer will be posted to field areas and will receive the following field area allowances, as shared below:

There are multiple allowances offered to the Officers along with NDA salary such as Uniform Allowance, Dearness and Transport Allowance, Para Reserve Allowance, Technical Allowance, Children Education Allowance, Hostel Subsidy, High Altitude Allowance, etc. The Army Aviators (Pilots) in Lt and above in Level 10 and above serving in the Army Aviation Corps are entitled to flying allowance of INR 25,000 (R1H1 of Risk and Hardship Matrix).. .

Army group insurance fund is the compulsory contributory group scheme that provides insurance cover of INR 15 Lacs on payment of one time non-refundable premium of INR 6,400 for 3 years paid from the date of joining NDA till completion of training. In case of death, compensation is offered to the families. An ex-gratia amount of INR 12.5 Lacs or INR 9,000 per month is paid to the NoK. This will be provided on an ex-gratia basis and should not be considered with a pension.

NDA salary to be fixed after the successful training of the Officer Commissioned is given below.

NDA Salary After 7th Pay Commission
NDA Posts	NDA Pay Scale	NDA Pay Level
Stipend during training at IMA	56,100	Level 10
Lieutenant	56,100 -1,77,500	Level 10
Captain	61,300- 1,93,900	Level 10 B
Major	69,400-2,07,200	Level 11
Lieutenant Colonel	1,21,200-2,12,400	Level 12A
Colonel	1,30,600-2,15,900	Level 13
Brigadier	1,39,600-2,17,600	Level 13A
Major General	1,44,200-2,18,200	Level 14
LT General HAG Scale	1,82,200-2,24,100	Level 15
HAG + Scale	2,05,400-2,24,400	Level 16
VCOAS/Army CDr/Lt Gen (NFSG)	2,25,000 (fixed)	Level 17
COAS	2,50,000 (fixed)	Level 18

NDA salary during the entire duration of training is INR 56,100. Candidates starting salary during the training period and in the initial phase of their job. Over time, the post and salary of NDA officers keep increasing based on their performance and experience. The NDA salary per month for the Lieutenant post ranges from INR 56,100 to 1,77,500, while the highest salary for NDA Officer is INR 2,50,000 per month for the Chief of Army Staff.

The cadet's cost of training includes accommodation, boarding, medical treatment books, uniforms, etc. All these costs are borne by the Government. During the training, the personal expenses are borne by family. The private expenses generally account to not more than 3000 per month. Even in cases where the parents are not able to provide the expenses of the cadets, the government provides the financial assistance of  INR 1000 per month for the period of training. The financial assistance is provided to only those candidates whose parents' income is less than INR 21,000 per month. Cadets whose parent's income is more than INR 21,000 per month are not liable for financial assistance.

If the cadet's brother or any cadet who is being provided help by parents and guardians and even he is simultaneously undergoing training at NDA, IMA, OTA, and corresponding training establishment in the Navy and Air Force, then both of them are eligible for financial assistance by the government. Candidates who are finally selected for training at the Academy are required to deposit the following amount.

Cost of Training	Amount  (INR)
Pocket allowance for 5 months @INR 3000.00 per month	15000
For items of clothing and equipment	21831
Army Group Insurance Fund	7200
Clothing items required at the time of joining	8681
Incidental Expenditure during 1st Semester	7138
Total	59850

Out of the total amount, the following amount is refunded to candidates in the event of financial aid being sanctioned to them.

Refund	Amount (INR)
Pocket allowance for five months INR 2000 at INR 400.00 per month (Corresponding to Govt. Financial Assistance)	2000
For items of clothing and equipment approximately	13935

The transport allowance offered to NDA Officers is given below.

Pay Level	Higher TPTA Cities (Rs. Per month)	Other Places (Rs. Per month)
Officers	INR 7200+DA thereon	INR 3600+DA thereon

NDA syllabus is prescribed by the examination authority so that candidates can know what they need to prepare for the exam. The standard of NDA syllabus is of Class 10, 11 and 12 levels. NDA syllabus is divided into two parts-Maths and GAT. NDA Maths syllabus carries questions from Algebra Calculus, Matrices and Determinants Integral Calculus and Differential Equations Trigonometry Vector Algebra Analytical Geometry Of Two and Three Dimension and Statistics and Probability.. NDA GAT syllabus carries questions from topics such as Usage, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Cohesion. Questions in General Knowledge are asked from Physics Chemistry Social Studies, General Science, Geography, and Current Events.

 

NDA selection process comprises written exam and SSB interview. Candidates need to secure qualifying marks separately in the written exam and SSB interview. Qualified candidates will be placed in a single combined list on the basis of total marks secure in the written exam and SSB interview. Final allocation is done based on the number of vacancies, eligibility, medical fitness and merit-cum-preference of the candidates. The written exam of NDA is conducted for 900 marks. The sectional cutoff marks for the written exam is 25 per cent. The SSB interview carries 900 marks. The SSB interview is conducted in two stages. Stage 1 comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT) whereas Stage 2 comprises Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference.

The SSB procedure consists of two stage Selection process- stage I and stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for stage II. The details are:
(a) Stage I comprises of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception Description Test (PP&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in OIR Test and PP&DT
(b) Stage II Comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference. These tests are conducted
over four days. 
The personality of a candidate is assessed by three different assessors viz. The Interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Psychologist. There are no separate weightage for each test. The mks are allotted by assessors only after taking into consideration the performance of the candidate holistically in all the test. In addition, marks for Conference are also allotted based on the initial performance of the Candidate in the three techniques and decision of the Board. All these have equal weightage.
The various tests of IO, GTO and Psych are designed to bring out the presence/absence of Officer Like Qualities and their trainability in a candidate. Accordingly candidates are recommended or not recommended at the SSB.

NDA selection process for written exam comprises two papers-Maths and GAT. Total marks allotted to this paper are 900. Candidates need to secure 25 per cent in each subject as qualifying marks. Besides, candidates need to clear the cut off marks fixed by UPSC for written exam. Based on the performance in the written exam, candidates are selected for SSB interview.

Army Group Insurance Fund provides insurance cover of INR 15 Lacs on payment of one time non-refundable premium of INR 7,200 (subject to revision from time to time) by cadets from the date of joining for pre-commission training i.e. for 3 years. If a cadet is relegated an additional premium of INR 1,355 (subject to revision from time to time) per relegated term will be paid. For those who are invalidated out by IMB on account of disability and not entitled to any pension will be provided Rs.15 Lacs for 100 per cent disability. This will be proportionately reduced to INR 3 Lacs for 20 per cent. However, for less than 20 percent disability, only an Ex-Gratia Grant of INR 50,000 for first two years of training and INR 1 lakh during the third year of training will be paid. Disability due to alcoholism, drug addiction and due to the diseases of pre-enrolment origin will not qualify for disability benefit and Ex-Gratia Grant. In addition, cadets withdrawn on disciplinary grounds, expelled as undesirable or leaving the Academy voluntarily will also not be eligible for disability benefits and Ex-Gratia. There is no saving component under the scheme.

Around two to three Lacs candidates apply for NDA exam. The written exam of NDA is cleared by around 8000 to 10,000 candidates. Such candidates are called for SSB interview. The pass percentage in SSB interview is around 10 to 15 per cent. Many students are rejected on medical ground as well. After the medicals, a merit list is prepared which features around 580 to 650 candidates. First 350 to 380 candidates are invited for admission to NDA and INAC. Some candidates do not join and some are not able to cope up with the tough training process. NDA selection process is bit tough therefore it takes about six months preparation to crack the exam.

The Lady/Gentlemen Cadets during pre commission trg when in receipt of stipend are insured for INR One Cr as applicable to officers of the regular Army. Monthly AGIF subscription will be deducted directly by PCDA (O), Pune. For those who are invalidated out by Invalidated Medical Board (IMB) on account of disability and not entitled to any pension will be provided INR 25 Lacs for 100 percent disability. This will be proportionately reduced to INR 5 Lacs for 20 percent disability. However, for less than 20 percent disability, an ex-gratia grant of INR 50,000 only will be paid. Disability due to alcoholism, drug addiction
and due to the diseases of pre-enrolment origin will not qualify for disability benefit and ExGratia Grant. In addition, Lady/Gentleman Cadets withdrawn on disciplinary grounds, expelled  as an undesirable or leaving the Academy voluntarily will not be eligible for disability benefits and Ex-Gratia. 

The written exam of NDA comprises two papers-Mathematics and General Ability Tests (GAT). The Maths paper carries 120 questions and the GAT carries 150 questions. Total marks allotted to the written exam are 900. Candidates qualifying the written exam are called for SSB interview. SSB Interview is divided into two stages. Candidates qualifying the Stage 1 are called for the Stage 2 exam. Stage 1 of the SSB Interview comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). Stage 2 comprises Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests, and the Conference

Though both are defence exams, there are many similarities and differences in the recruitment process, exam pattern, training, salary, perks, promotion, eligibility, etc. NDA is conducted for candidates who wish to join the defence services after Class 12. CDS is the exam conducted for the graduate candidates for training at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Air Force Academy (AFA), Officers Training Academy (OTA) and Indian Naval Academy (INA). NDA exam is conducted for Class 12 pass candidates. Whereas, CDS exam is conducted for graduate-level candidates. NDA exam carries two subjects-GAT and Maths. CDS exam carries three papers-Maths, English and GK. English and GK section is conducted for OTA, IMA, INA and AFA. Maths paper is conducted for IMA, INA and AFA. The total marks allotted to the written exam of NDA is 900 whereas it is 300 for CDS.

NDA selection process comprises written exam and SSB interview. The written exam comprises two papers-GAT and Maths. The total marks allotted to the test are 900. The SSB Interview assess the candidates in terms of physical fitness and intellectual ability. The total marks allotted to SSB Interview are 900. SSB Interview is divided into two stages. Stage 1 of the SSB Interview comprises Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests and Picture Perception and Description Test (PP&DT). Stage 2 comprises Group Testing Officer Tasks, Psychology Tests and the Conference.

NDA stands for National Defence Academy. NDA is situated at Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra and it is one of the most prestigious military training institutions in the world. NDA trains cadets for Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. The cadets are trained to become officers in the Indian Armed Forces upon graduation. Cadets are received a Bachelor's degree in the field of engineering or technology or any other field. NDA exam is conducted for two courses every year, one starting in January and the other starting in July. The courses are of three years duration and cadets are trained in various aspects of military and academic education. NDA exam comprises written exam and SSB interview.

Hi, Eligibility Criteria to write NDA exam- (a) Nationality : A candidate must either be : i) a citizen of India, or ii) a subject of Bhutan, or iii) a subject of Nepal, or iv) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India with the intention of permanently settling in India, or v) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. Certificate of eligibility will not, however, be necessary in the case of candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal. (b) Age Limits, Sex and Marital Status : A candidate must be an unmarried male and have attained the age of 16 1/2 years and must not have attained the age 19 years on the 1st January or 1st of July of the year succeeding the year of examination. Candidates must not marry until they complete their full training. A candidate who marries subsequent to the date of his application, though successful will not be selected for training. A candidate who marries during training shall be discharged and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him by the Government. (c) Educational Qualifications : For Army wing of National Defence Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by a State Education Board or a University. For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the 10+2 (Executive Branch) Course at the Naval Academy :- 12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University. Candidates who are appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination can also apply.

NDA exam is conducted every year twice in a year. The exam is conducted to select candidates for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force wings of NDA and Indian Naval Academy courses. The selection process comprises written exam and SSB Interview. The total marks allotted to the written exam are 900. The SSB interview carries 900 marks. 

The ideal time required for NDA preparation is one year to six months. During the preparation phase, candidates must focus on all subjects and topics relevant to the exam. Candidates must consider solving the NDA question papers. They should also attempt mock tests to increase speed and accuracy. Candidates must be thorough with the exam pattern and syllabus. The tips and tricks to prepare for NDA exam are given below:

• To begin with the preparation, candidates need to understand the syllabus and exam pattern
• Candidates can clear their basic concepts of the topics from the Class 10, 11 and 12 books
• To improve speed and accuracy, candidates can attempt mock tests
• After completing the syllabus, candidates must practice previous years' question papers to know the types of questions asked in the exam
• Candidates must work on improving their weak areas