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 overdue 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.

ramantn sarma 
colram40@yahoo.com

Some constructive comments/suggestions on the above article follow:-

By Brig Harwant Singh

     hrwntsingh@yahoo.co.in

“OPEN-ENDED” CAREER TO MAKE ARMY ‘ATTRACTIVE AND PRODUCE

CONTENDED’ “ SCHOLAR-SOLDIERS ”

1.             Despite the recent steps to ease promotions, which will give only some financial respite but cheapen the “Rank ”, the   career in the Army will continue to be least attractive, because of major  ‘ Dissuasive Factors ‘, like, lack of Prestige, Perks, very poor emoluments (the Indian Army is the lowest paid major Army in the entire world), early  ‘ forced ’ retirement’ without any ‘rehabilitation’, difficult and dangerous service conditions, shortage of proper accommodation, prolonged employment on Internal Security duties ,etc.  The list of such factors   is indeed endless, which is far too well known to you.  An other extremely important cause of Army ’s unattractiveness is that it is a “ Dead End ” Career. Given our circumstances, while nothing much can be done about the aforementioned   ‘ Dissuasive Factors’, in foreseeable future, certainly the Army career can be made an “ Open Ended ” one to remove this basic ‘Cause’ of its unattractiveness. It is submitted that there are hardly any  “In house” measures available.  The advertisement campaign (“ Do you have it in you? “) did not yield results commensurate with the effort and money spent. Solution to make Army   attractive lies out side and  NOT inside . Thus ,  all options and opportunities must be explored.  

          

2.             If the career in the Defence Services is made an “Open-Ended ” one, like in the Civil Services, where vast ‘opportunities’ exist to better one’s career through various competitive exams after joining a particular job; all the afore mentioned ‘ dissuasive factor’ would be taken care of; as they (Military Officers) will have ‘opportunities’ to go to ‘Greener Pastures’ later on. In civil, technically, even a “peon”, has ‘opportunities’ to improve his lot and can hope to retire as a ‘Chief Secretary ’ by working hard, clearing various academic and Civil Services exams. If this facility is accorded to the Defence Services there will be a great rush of talented young men to join the same (as the ‘intake’ in   the Military is earlier than in the Civil Services), secure with the knowledge that they would have opportunities to better their lot and go to ‘Greener Pastures’ later on.  Though the provision exists for all Govt employees to appear in any competitive exam after obtaining ‘ No Objection Certificate ’ (NOC), from their ‘ Controlling Officer’ (Commanding Officer in our case), but this provision is hardly ever-utilized by / applied to the Defence Services. Lone example of an Airman joining the IAS in 1994 was rarest of the rare exception  .No wonder the bright young men avoid the Services, for they don’t want to join a  “ Dead End Career ” and thus become “Lifers”.  Now even the suitable rankers, are not forthcoming in very large numbers as hither to fore.  

3.         Therefore, by one stroke of pen, the vast shortages in the officer cadre, (about 13,000 Officers in Army), can be made up if career in the Defense Services is made an “Open-Ended” one by allowing Officers to compete for the Civil Services (after a suitably long tenure, say 7-10 years or so), with corresponding upper age relaxation and by creating an   ‘enabling’ environment. Many will thus “ flock to the ‘Colours’ ” to take advantage of this facility. Though similar arrangement is there for the Short Service Commissioned [SSC] Officers. But the ‘material’ which opts for SSC is the one which does so as a last resort and thus hardly benefits from the opportunity to compete for the Civil Services, where as we should aim at the ‘Quality Material ‘, who opts for the Services as a  ‘ first choice ‘, i.e. Regular Commissioned Officers.   

Advantages.

4.         “Scholar Soldier”. Making career in Defence Services an “Open –Ended’ one will have a great advantages ofattracting better ‘Material’, ‘ widening their horizon’ due to studying for the competitive Civil Services exams even if they finally do not ‘make it ’. In fact it would usher in a culture of “Scholar Soldier” which is a must in today ’s “Technology Driven Warfare”. Their induction in to the Civil Services later on will also result in absorption in to Civil life of better value system and  ‘ Military Virtues and ethos’; like, sense of duty, ‘result oriented approach’, integrity, discipline etc, etc.

5.         ‘Reduced Resentment’.  Major advantage will be that it will lead to  ‘reduced resentment’ in the serving officers as those who do not finally ‘make it’ make it to the Civil services would realise that they were given a very fair chance by the ‘System’ to better their lot but they were unable to take advantage of the same. (They were ‘weighed but found wanting’).  Hence they won’t resent the unlimited perks, privileges and prestige of their Civilian counter-parts. It would also lead to fewer  “ super cessions” as many would have left for civil jobs before they reach the selection grades.

6.         Decision Making. It would also lead to better decision making at ‘grass root’ levels with regards to defence  / defence persons related affairs in various civil departments as at present Civil Officers have hardly any exposure to  “ Matters Military ”. This aspect alone is responsible for the neglect of the Serving and Retired Soldiers and the Defence Widows, which is more by default rather than by design. 

7          To cater for any Military exigencies, those who join civil jobs be put on ‘Reserve List’ up to a certain age. If and when called for Military service they should retain their ‘Lien and Seniority’ in their respective civil service. 

Disadvantages (Hypothetical) 

8          The only disadvantage of such a scheme would be perceived loss of the money and effort spent on their training or “Brain Drain” from the Defence Services. But this would be a very shortsighted view as their training and ethos should be viewed as a “ National Asset ”. Also it should not be construed as “Brain Drain” but “Redeployment of Brain”. Many Doctors and Engineers, on whose training also huge amounts are spent by the State, are joining Civil Services ‘routinely’. Is it fair to deny the Defense Persons an opportunity to better their lot?

9     It is evident that the ‘advantages’ far out-weigh  (hypothetical) ‘dis advantages’.

Conclusion

10.       In view of the foregoing,  above suggestion be  examined  and case taken up  for giving NOC liberally to all ranks for appearing in Civil Services exams.   Other necessary steps like extension in upper age limit may also be taken with the Govt  at the earliest for   making Army Career an “Open Ended” one, to make it attractive.

By Biji Cheriyan

      bijicheriyan@hotmail.com

While it may be difficult to pick issues with the sentiments behind the mails below, I think we need to look at ourselves in the mirror (as a group that is) and do a reality check.

Interestingly, there was also a discussion on NDTV a couple of days ago about the Civil Services. Most of the panelists spoke of specific issues without getting excited or emotional about it. The bureaucrats also defended themselves reasonably well though Indian bureacracy is generally considered to be among the worst in the world, by passing much of the blame on to politicians. 

Contrast this with when Service officers come on such discussions wherein you generally get victimhood narratives, motherhood statements  and castigating each other(as in the former Army Chief's case). Even in the TV discussions that Maj. Navdeep posted on his blog, it was left to him alone to bring some focus to the issue at hand. A former Chairman of Army Pay Cell, was more vocal about how he was denied acccess to the Chairman of V CPC to hand over a letter. Are 2 star level officers so unsure of the merits of the cases they make that they need special interventions?

On the issues raised in the mails below let me raise some points to ponder, even at the risk of repetition :

Open Ended Career - What exactly is this? Civil servants don't have it. They do a variety of jobs because they are part of the Central Staffing Scheme.

Dead End - Agreed that the promotion prospects are not as good as in some other places but it was made worse by Service Hqs equating a Lt Col with an Under Secy rather than a DIG with whom he was closer by pay, years of service and official protocol. For those who want to get out of this dead end, isn't it Service Hqs(incl some of us reading/writing these suggestions) who have opposed a liberal exit policy?

Shortage of officers - Is there any hard evidence to indicate that shortage(?) of officers is due to a fall in the number of aspirants/ intake? Don't get surpriseed if the problem is elsewhere. And why can't much of the routine, mundane jobs given to officers be given to JCOs, as is done by Gp B gazetted officers on the civil side instead of wasting officers there and aggravating any shortage?

Salary and Perks - After the VI CPC, the salary and perks have got worse in comparison to others, not 'considerably improved'. If it had improved, we wouldn't be having most of these discussions.

Take Home Salary - We have some control over AGIF, NGIF etc because it is money contributed. Do we want to hand that also back to the babus like the CSD? And pay another 5 crores or more to the next school or other project of the civil services? The GOI pays ex-gratia compensation and can even arrange additional insurance but giving away internal resources may not be a great idea.

Above average category recruitment - Again, I think this is based on the wrong premise that there is a shortage of good aspirants.

Short Service Commission - Agreed but interesting evolution of thought. Wasn't SSC 7 years earlier? Who changed it to 10 plus 4? Some of us at Service Hqs would have prevailed on the MOD to make this change. Can we identify them, and their rationale?

Promotion Bottlenecks - This para actually conveys the limited grasp we have of the problem in hand. Col is not a 'selection grade' rank. Selection grade was originally a higher grade of pay in the same rank to the person 'not selected' for promotion. We had Major(Sel Gde) for Majors not selected for Lt Col. The Civil services then had JAG(SG) corresponding to that and it was actually called Non-Functional Selection Grade. It was later made 'functional' and is now the last grade in time based promotion, before selection to higher grade. In the civil services, it is director and in the post AVS army, it is Lt Col. But it may be a freudian slip, the Col now draws the replacement pay of the Major 'Selection Grade'. And we call this an improvement.

Biji

Dear Sir,

Allow me to elaborate a bit.

 
My take on the officer shortage is not that it does not exist but that the reasons are different from a lack of suitable applicants. Very often we just quote this as a substitute for reasoned arguments before CPCs. Instead of a detailed explanation here let me locate an old mail of mine to another veteran and put it up for your perusal.
 
Salary and perks - the entire debate is a matter of comparison. Otherwise there is little to discuss except differing opinions on what is sufficient and may be completely arbitrary.
 
But the main point that I would come back to, is 'Selection Grade'. It is a specific terminology in pay matters implying almost the diametric opposite of what you have said. It was not the pay of the guy who was selected for promotion but the 'consolation pay' of the guy who missed promotion. After NFSG was made 'functional', it became the last pay grade in the 'non-select' grades. Selection Grade rank in the army before AVS was Major and after AVS it is Lt Col, not Col. Col is now the first grade above Selection Grade.

The reason I keep talking about this 'selection grade' is that this pay grade is the fulcrum of the pay structure. Those above and below move depending on where you place it. 

 
I have no evidence on this, but I suspect some poorly thought out letter/ word went out from Service Hqs to the VI CPC/ MOD saying that Col is the 'Selection Grade' in the Army and they responded by placing him on the selection grade pay(well below what he was getting earlier) with all its attendant consequences across the board. The civilian guy who did it also would possibly have thought Col is the rank reached by everyone in 14 years, as applicable in the other Services. He can't be blamed for our lack of understanding 'Sel Gde'. This is a more likely reason for the across the board downgrade that happened at the last CPC than any deliberate sabotage.

 
I am not really advocating a reversion to the old system, but there are two things that we need to be clear about, consequent to the combined effect of AVS and VI CPC. 

One, officers get higher rank earlier than before but the pay of the ranks have been reduced to cater to the reduced time to reach those ranks. In the case of Lt Cols this reduction has been disproportionate and in the case of Cols and Brigs, unwarranted. In pay terms today's Major is therefore a Capt wearing Major's rank and the Lt Col is getting less than what he would have got as a senior Major without these changes. I am not sure this is an improvement. It would certainly have been an improvement if pay levels were maintained. Most youngsters in service have as usual not grasped the reduction in pay level and are happy about the change.

 
Second, and of more concern to veterans, the pensions(being rank based) have also got reduced, relatively that is, based on the lower pay levels. The hardest hit are Majors because of the drasic reduction in time, now required to become a Major.

As I see it, this is the bigger picture, most of the rest is a matter of detail.

 
Regards
 
Biji

By Col Karan Kharab

karankharb@gmail.com

A thoughtful analysis very well presented indeed.

I agree that we spew out too much anger and emotion but little substance while participating in public fora - TV, media etc.  I started learning to 'disagree with respect' only after retirement.  But what a joy it is to let anger lie and courtesy score! We perhaps need to introspect and sharpen our argument by giving it the cutting edge of facts and logic rather than blunt it with unwelcome language and offending gesturing. Wit, we know, is often more lethal and yet laudable skill to defeat the opponent. A little pause before jumping to retort surely helps. Here's an example of wit scoring over anger:

Two young men, one Indian and the other a Pakistani, met in London. They soon got acquainted and became friends. One day they went to a casino where they played a few rounds of 'teen patti' (flash) in which the Pakistani lost badly.  Hell bent to avenge this loss, the Pakistani chose to publicly humiliate the Indian by asking him, "How do we distinguish the Indians from dogs?" Unruffled, the Indian youth's reply was, "A border divides the two!"

Any angry reaction by the Indian youngster would have only messed up the situation and gains couldn't have been bigger!

Regards,

Karan Kharb

9818047092

By Lt Gen VIJAY OBEROI 

oberoivijay@hotmail.com

Dear Raman,

A good article. You have covered the issues very well. The inclusion of remedial actions has added to the strength of the piece.

You could have included the aspect of declining respect of the uniform as one of the major factors for de-motivation of youth in joining the army. It is a misnomer that earlier only boys from rich families joined the forces; you and I and most others came from middle class families. We joined because of the respect the uniform brought us; monetarily, we were as poor as the personnel of today, perhaps we were worse off! However, it was respect that brought elitism.

Regards.

Vijay Oberoi