NEW DELHI: The armed forces are now close to finalising the long-pending package to make short-service commission ( SSC ) more attractive for bright youngsters, with measures ranging from grant of paid study leave to a golden handshake at the end of their tenures of 10 to 14 years, in the backdrop of the continuing shortage of officers and the urgent need for cadre restructuring.Defence sources say the proposals under finalisation include lump-sum payments of around Rs 17 lakh each to SSC officers exiting after 10 years of service, with two months of salary being counted for each year in uniform.Similarly, a hefty payout of Rs 38 lakh for officers leaving the force after 14 years, with two months of salary for each year for the first 10 years and four months per year for the balance four years being taken into account."SSC officers can also be sent to Defence Security Corps or the National Cadet Corps to ensure they can complete the mandatory 20 years of service to become eligible for pension. Other proposals being examined include fully-paid study leave for professional courses and grant of other benefits," said a source.Sources said it would be up to the next government to approve the SSC package, which has been in the works for long but never actually implemented till now. The armed forces want to eventually move to a ratio of around 1:1 in terms of permanent commission (PC) to SSC officers from the existing one of above 4:1.This is being considered all the more urgent now because of the ballooning salary and pension bill, with just about 25% of the overall defence budget being left for modernisation, as well as the growing disgruntlement among PC officers over poor promotional avenues in the steeply-pyramidal structure of the armed forces."If a bulk of officers exit after 10 or 14 years, it will help the promotional prospects of PC officers as well as stem the greying profile of the armed forces. Different models for increasing the intake of SSC officers as well as making it attractive for them are being examined by the Principal Personnel Officers' Committee," said another source.Even though their salaries have gone up after the 6th and 7th central pay commissions, military officers also remain angry that they have not been granted nonfunctional upgrade - basically salary upgrades for those denied promotions due to lack of vacancies - like the IAS , IFS, IPS and other organized Group A civil services.