Real Story of Colonel Rajan

Dear Friends,
 
Please pardon me if I am being a nuisance with my e-mail messages! I feel strongly that all our efforts should not go waste just because our focus appears to be going off at a tangent. I say ~appears~ with all due deliberateness.
 
What is the fact of the matter? Fewer people are opting for the Armed Forces particularly at the Officer levels.
 
Why? Private sector offers better cash emoluments and stable life style with options to quit and move on. The government jobs - IAS, IPS, IRS, and other central services offer jobs with ~power and authority~ and terms and conditions of service including pay and allowances which are reasonably attractive when combined with the concept of ~power and authority~. They also get pensions. Their welfare schemes are on par with the Armed Forces, if not better. To take an example - the IAS officer wields ~power and authority~ right from day one of his service and this authority increases as he goes up. The private sector runs after him throughout his service.
 
Result? Neither the ~power and authority~ or the pay and perks of the private sector are available to the Armed Forces. Nor can Armed Forces officers quit at will and move on. The result is obvious - lack of interest in taking up such a job. Please let us not confuse patriotism, pride, etc, at this stage. The Armed Forces simply offer a job opportunity and that needs to be evaluated. We are not alone in this problem. Every Army is facing this problem worldwide. Democratic countries have had to resort to conscription. The Indian Army - and the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force - have had long standing traditions which have carried them thus far. We work with a sort of ~code of honour~. I am certain those of us who have lead troops into battle will recall how the Regimental Spirit and Presiding Deity carried the day and not too much nationalism. It is a matter of great pride that whenever India has been called to action the Indian Army stood by this code of valour, fidelity and honour. The tradition never to surrender has remained ingrained in our fighting men and our Army has still got resolute soldiers who are ever ready to do their duty unto death without hesitation. But all this will finish if we start treating the Armed Forces as just another Central service. Don~t they need a special package of terms of service and welfare measures while in service and after retirement? Even our Canteen Services welfare measure is open to a large number of civillians!!!
 
What is needed? What we need to look at can be divided into two areas. Firstly, a major change in the policy on conditions of service including pay and allowances. We need to look at them differently from any other Central Government employees. Thus my constant refrain for being treated outside the ambit of the Pay Commissions. Secondly, we need to look at the improvement of welfare measures for serving soldiers and ex-servicemen. Please note I differentiate between service conditions and welfare measures.
 
This indeed is a very brief note that sums up my views on the entire subject. I could further elaborate and make it into a longer paper but that may not be necessary to an intelligent lot of friends I am addressing.
 
Your call - over to you!
 
Warm regards,
 
Atul Dev