INDIAN YOUTH AND THE INDIAN ARMY
Col (Retd) TN Raman
Is Indian Army an unattractive career for the
youth of our country? When this topic was being discussed, every one,
unhesitatingly jumped to the conclusion of ‘YES’ first and then started
the debate later to justify their conclusion. The fact is, the Indian
Army alone has a deficiency of nearly 11,000 officers, out of its
authorised strength of nearly 47,000. That is a little less than a
quarter. Therefore, the assumption must be true.
One of the lead speakers opened the
debate with a bombastic statement, “a strong professionally led
Military controlled by a capable leader having impeccable credentials,
strength of character and integrity is vital in the national interest”.
I was surprised. Is it not the
exact quality lacking in our National Leadership for the past 65 years
or so? At least the Army, to my mind, did not lack in this sphere.
Therefore, this statement is more applicable to the Civil Leadership
than to the Armed Forces. I told the audience that just remove the word
‘Military’ from the above statement and replace it
with the word
‘Nation’, and then everything will fall in their places.
There is no doubt that a career in
the Armed Forces, especially in the Army is least sought after by the
present day youth. This problem is not unique to our country, but it is a
worldwide phenomenon, in all the countries which do not have
conscription. Therefore, every Democratic Country is evolving its own
response to address this grave deficiency. India is not an exception..
There are some inherent assumptions we make
while formulating a strategy to address this problem. The negatives are
service conditions, promotion prospects, job satisfaction, lack of
freedom to retain the option of switching the job for better career
prospect and post retirement provisions have deteriorated as compared to
the Civil Services. After marriage, lack of avenues available to the
wife to pursue her own career due to frequent transfers, coupled with
lack of married accommodation, education and career planning
for the
children and frequent separation from the family and so on.
The positive aspects are that a
person who has been trained and had spent some time with the Forces, is
disciplined, law abiding and can face various adverse situations boldly.
We have the finest training
Institutions in the world. They not only churn out Officers
but also
Gentlemen, which is a great contribution to the Society and to the
Nation. Somehow, down the line this excellent aspect is being
underplayed. A good engineer or
a manager does not necessarily make a good officer.
The Officers selected through the
Services Selection Board (SSB) have been filtered through four main
criteria which are, Intelligence, Aptitude, Medical & Physical
condition and Leadership quality. Intelligence, aptitude and leadership
quality are gauged through proven psychological tests, where many do not
make the grade. Such a system of selection of the executives does not
exist even in the MNC and other corporates.
Marketing
Marketing Techniques are the recent innovation which the Armed Forces have embarked on to attract the Youth to join their ranks. Mckinsey and Co led survey report on War for Talent published in 2007, states, “the best of MNCs are facing challenges in attracting and retaining top quality talent despite savvy marketing strategies”. Granting Honorary Commissions to Sportsmen and popular Heroes from Cine world may have some marginal effect. But, the real slogan of all Advertisements published by the Armed Forces is “Do you have it in you?” is a challenge which goes unaddressed by the youth of our country. This reflects on the mood of present generation to go for an easy way of life, disregarding the quality of life and the prestige and status that go with certain jobs like the Officers in the Armed Forces.
Superior Salary and Perks
Enhancement of Pay and Perks alone will not
attract the youth. After the Sixth CPC, the pay scales have been
considerably improved, which as per the AHQ report itself helped in
stemming the exodus of Officers seeking premature retirement, but did
not attract more intake at the recruitment level. This is due to the
fact that the youngsters, who opt for joining the Armed Forces, do not
retain the freedom of mobility in the Career Market to land up with
superior salaries. It is evident that these youngsters consider
themselves fit for better career prospects in the corporate world, due
to the experience and status gained while serving with the Armed Forces,
and they want to cash on the same at the right moment in their lives.
The Armed Forces need not take a pessimistic view on this attitude, and
apply strict conditions for the exit process. Instead, voluntary exit
schemes may be introduced to assist such aspirants, after every 5
years of service. This policy may initially seem to encourage mass
exodus, but this option by itself will prove to enhance the recruitment
at the intake level, in the long run.
Take Home Salary
In the final analysis, what the
Youth is worried about is the net salary available to him every month
for him to spend. For example, none of the Insurance companies cover the
War Risk in their Life Policies. So, the Armed forces embarked on their
own Group Insurance Scheme (AGIF). It is no doubt an excellent Scheme
for which they should be congratulated. But, the premium for this Scheme
which is deducted through their salaries is quite high. Even a Jawan
contributes Rs 2,000/- pm. If the Govt considers paying this premium as
part of the perks, the Take Home salary will increase considerably.
Trying to Recruit only the Above Average Category
The Armed Forces through their SSB
aims to target only the top contenders. Instead it will be beneficial to
go in for rough cut diamonds and polish them into perfection. The NCC
is the ideal vehicle to achieve this aim. Students from the Ninth
Standard onwards should be selected by the NCC Officers, who can be
motivated and groomed to become the future Officers of the Armed Forces.
As we have seen, majority of the candidates fail to get through the
Aptitude and Leadership Tests in the SSB. The few selected students of
the Schools from all over India, can be taken on tours to various
Operational and Field Areas, to have first-hand knowledge of the
conditions of service faced by our brave Officers and Men, to instil a
sense of patriotism, pride and devotion to the Mother Land. As it is the
NCC cadets are taken on Annual Training Camps. So, in financial terms
also it will not be an additional expenditure. It will
also give equal opportunity for the youngsters from the rural areas to
compete with the others on an equal footing. In the long run, these
methods of taking in rough cut diamonds and polish them to perfection,
will pay rich dividends. The NCC as an Organisation will be fully
utilised. In addition the NCC can also be of great help in recruiting
the new 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme.
Short Service Commission (SSC)
SSC is treated as support cadre for Permanent
Regular Commission (PRC), which is twice its strength. According to
internal report, the short fall of 11,000 officers would be bridged in
20 years. If the proposal to take 2 SSC officers for every PRC Officer,
this shortfall may be covered in lesser time frame, without affecting
the pyramidal structure of the Army. To make SSC more attractive, the
term of service could be made to 5 to 10 years, with a guaranteed 2
years study leave before their release. The present system of 10 years
plus 4 years optional service, does not meet the requirement of job
mobility, which the Youth nowadays are aspiring for. Further, when a
youngster joins the Service, he has done so with the minimum educational
qualification, required for the grant of SSC. Therefore, the
organisation must also be responsible to prepare him for his subsequent
rehabilitation, which should not be considered as a waste,
since he had contributed the prime of his youth to the service of the
Nation. Most importantly, he is reducing the pension burden of the
organisation, which would be an enormous saving.
One more striking anomaly is that SSC Officers
are not being granted PRC even after 10 years of service. If an
Organisation can trust a person as an Officer for a decade with all the
responsibilities including command, the selection to PRC should be
automatic, except in very few cases. The same situation arose with the
Emergency commissioned Officers (ECO). Most of the ECOs who had fought
one or two wars and also employed in various CI operations were thrown
out after 5 years of service. This was great injustice done to them. Let
us not repeat the same mistake in the case of SSC Officers also. Grant
PRC to those of them who would like to take Army as their profession.
Promotion Bottlenecks
The conditions, no doubt, have
improved now. An Officer can become a Lt Col by passing some mandatory
examinations. The selection grade starts only from the rank of Colonel.
An officer can become a Lt Col in 13 years’ service and a Colonel in 15
or 16 years of service. Every Officer, including those who could not
make the selection grade will definitely retire as a Col (TS) in 25
years. If the Civil Services principle of granting Non Functional
Upgradation (NFU) is made applicable, an Officer who is passed over for
promotion to the rank of Col would become Col (TS) at the service span
of 18 to 19 years, instead of waiting for 25 years. This
relief will go a long way in eradicating the disgruntlement and build up
a healthy working atmosphere. In addition this guaranteed retirement at
the rank of Col may also improve the intake.
Adopting to Changing Social Environment
With more women joining the Armed Forces as
(SSC) and some having already gone to the Court for grant of PRC, and
won the case alleging ‘Gender Bias’, the Armed forces must now come up
with revised Regulations in respect of the Women Officers.
This being a separate subject by itself is not being dealt with in this
paper. Suffice to say that their intake will also go a long way in
making up the deficiency in Officers cadre.
Conclusion
It may be tempting to suggest that increase in
Pay and Perks will attract more youth to join the Army. It definitely is
one of the ways but not the only way. The reality lies
somewhere else. We cannot alter the geography of our Nation or our
Threat Perception, to ensure a corporate style of working environment
for the Officers. They have to serve with the men in all types of
terrain and undergo privation, difficulties and much higher risks
to their own lives. Even with increase in emoluments, only a few would
prefer such a tough, risky and adventurous career. Most of the Youth of
today, who have been brought up in a softer environment, would prefer a
sheltered life even with half the salary offered by the Armed forces.
That can be no reason for the Govt to take
shelter. Because, those few who have come forward to serve the Nation
must be paid realistically, by applying the Supply and Demand Principle.
The Supply as of now is limited. The Demand of the Nation is more. The
1.3 million strong personnel of our Armed Forces, is the main stay for
our Democracy and Like Lord Wavel had rightly pointed out, “the
stability of the Indian Army may perhaps be the deciding factor in the
stability of the Indian Democracy”. Indian Army had stood by this
commitment despite several derogative steps taken by the Political
Leaders and the Bureaucrats. At some point of time the thread of
subservience may snap. The wakeup call has already been given.
We must come out of our pessimistic
thinking that the money spent on an officer for his training and
grooming would become waste if he opts out of the service at an earlier
period than contracted. Let us consider positively, that his training
and education he gained in the Armed Forces would be utilised in some
other means by some other organisation in the overall interest of the
Nation. So, make the exit policy easy and allow him the option of job
migration.
Ensure that all those who exit from the Forces
either on superannuation or otherwise are given opportunity to enhance
their qualifications and thus their esteem in the Civil Society.
Above all, the time is over due to restore the
honour and esteem of the Armed forces which have been progressively
degraded by various Civil and Political agencies.
Above all, creation of congenial and conducive
working atmosphere, absolute transparency in the performance evolution
of the Officers, freedom to bring out the deficiencies in the system
including those of superior officers in accordance with the present
trend in the country are some areas where we have to look into. These
aspects have to be addressed by the Organisation and have got nothing to
do with the Govt. The present day youth would not like to be just an’
Yes Man’. His Social awareness is on a much higher plane.
The Veterans’ Associations can play a major role
in motivating the School and College Students in joining the Armed
Forces. Let us be clear that every youngster is not going to land up in
top corporate job. Considering the population of our country, 99.99 per
cent of the youngsters would be landing up in the lower strata of jobs.
Our endeavour should be to identify such targets and motivate them to
volunteer for the Armed Services. They will turn out to be fine finished
products after their training.
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