LIFE OF VETERAN IN INDIA : PART – 2 : PRIDE IN UNIFORM TO SHAME ON STREET

LIFE OF VETERAN IN INDIA : PART – 2 : PRIDE IN UNIFORM TO SHAME ON STREET

Part 1 was all about the journey of a boy from a Recruit to a JCO. Did Part-1 hit you? If you are  Veteran or Forces Lady, and the Part – 1 did not hit you, I request you to quit reading this article here.

If you are keen to learn, please go through ALL the links given at the end of this article. Understand the gist of Part-1 with help of an example below.

I am a strong supporter of a YOUNG ARMY, I also know that it is not difficult to absorb 42,000 soldiers each year in the mainstream without harming anyone else. Our thinking is  ‘boxed’ into a box. I broke it long back.

Question : HOW many soldiers who join Army as recruits ‘SERVE BEYOND 36 YEARS OF AGE? Assume 50,000 recruits joined in year 2000 all were 19 years of age.

Reported to Training Centre on 01 Jan 2000. Recruited as a ‘Soldier’ after one year of training on 31 Dec 2000.

Total Service? One year. Recruits service starts on day one of training.

01 Jan 2001- Reported to unit.

31 Dec 2017 – (18 year service completed age 37 years) – 42,850 Soldiers out of 50,000 recruited “RETIRE”. Rank? Sepoy. Only7150 Soldiers out of 50,000 left in army.

01 Jan 2018–31 Dec 2021- 7150 Soldiers are Naiks.

31 Dec 2021- (21 year service completed age 41 years) – 5360 out of 7150 “RETIRE”. Out of 50,000 recruited 48,210 Soldiers (42,850 Soldiers + 5360 Soldiers) “RETIRE”. 5360 retire in rank ‘Naik”. Only1790 left in army and serving.

01 Jan 2022-31 Dec 2024- (25 year service completed age 45 years) 725 out of 1790 “RETIRE”.  Out of 50,000 recruited 48,935 Soldiers (42,850 Soldiers + 5360 Soldiers + 725 Soldiers) “RETIRE”. 725 retire in rank ‘Havildar’. Only1065 left in army and serving.

-Out of 50,000 recruited 48,210 Soldiers (42,850 Soldiers+5360 Soldiers) “RETIRE”. 5360 retire in rank ‘Naik”. Only 1790 left in army and serving.

-This is repeated each year, year on year. Each year a minimum of 50,000 recruits join and 48,210 Soldiers convert from “PRIDE OF UNIFORM” TO “SHAME ON STREET”.

WHO IS THE RIGHTFUL “OWNER” OF THIS “SHAME”?

Look around your house hold and find a 36 year old male. Wife 32 years old with two school going kids in Class 2 and Upper KG and Rs 18-20,000.00 as income. No skill set. No house. You don’t give a second look since he is way below your ‘level’. After all who can live in 18-20K right?

This is what exactly 48,210 Soldiers are. They have no choice but to go to village, fall back on his parents’ house, degrade children to join a village school, ECHS? CSD? District Sainik Board? Job? He is practically in penury. 42,850 such soldiers come out of army each year and live in shame. He looks back at the treachery. Does not know who to blame. To him his officers were GODS. Now even the Gods are invisible.

I want to know:

• Where are his officers to project his plight?
• Where is Army Brass to project this to Government?
• What do three Chiefs do on the Board of Kendriya Sainik Board?
• What do 7-8 other retired Generals do on the Board of KSB?
• What do Army Commanders do when in service?
• What do Army Commanders do after retirement?
• Who writes about these people?
• Is there a forum where officially these issues are discussed?

The fact that nothing has changed in last 40-50 years simply proves the incapability of the officers lot. They have failed the men. They also discovered people to be blamed. Bureaucrats. The real problem lies in careerist officers.

ACP- “Assured Career Progression” A term (JUMLA) no one understands but used to hide in-competencies of officers. ‘Faster Promotions’ (JUMLA) another alibi to hide incompetency. Directorate General of Resettlement will come up with the list of courses that men can do. Directorate of Veterans has their power point ready.

My Questions.

• Does it prevent 42,850 soldiers from retiring on the specified day?
• Do you have authorisation increased every day to promise ‘faster promotions’?
• Does giving a rank mean anything if it does not permit a person to serve more than specified?
• Does anyone have an answer for 98.5% retiring at less than 44 yrs age?
• Does anyone have an answer what does the person do from 36 years age to 60 years age?
• Has any general duty soldier benefitted from the courses of DGR?
• Does DGR have 42000 vacancies each year?
• What does Directorate of Veterans do?

I have another 100 questions.

Shame on Street

The jawans land up on streets. Pride swallowed. Pride of uniform hidden. They do not reveal that they are ex-servicemen.

Jobs? Reserved seats for ESM? Organisations to resettle soldiers? Industry? Salaries? Kendriya Sainik Boards? With everyone claims success of schemes, then why is there sadness seen in a soldiers eye? REASONS are simple. There is NO connect between those manning organisations and Veterans. 48,000 soldiers pour on streets each year. Success is in 100% rehabilitation.

I do not support increase in age of soldiers. We need young army. We must retain a ‘young’ Army. We must retire soldiers as done now. This can happen only when we plan their careers up to 60 yrs. age. Have a look at life of these soldiers once they are released at such young age and in middle of timeline of life. A retired soldiers life. Army has wide variety of technical and non-technical skilled soldiers. Technical like Electrical and Mechanical Diploma holders, Electronic and Communication Diploma holders, Education Corps, Medical and Nursing professionals and like. They are fairly well absorbed in job market. They form about 30% of total men. The MAJORITY 70% are combat soldiers, absolute top class in their job like Infantry, Artillery, Armoured, Air Defence, Mechanised Infantry but no skill set to settle in society.

These general duty soldiers are suitable for only one job. GUARD. What a downfall! What a shame! Dignity and self-esteem crushed! From jawan to JCOs only place to fit in is GUARDS. Shocking. A life spent with pride, dignity, elan, the best of the best, the best man behind machine, they win Kargil, Basantar, Longewala, East Pakistan and finish as GUARDS. 
Skill Development by Army? Shocking. ITI classes, Poultry, nonsense. Resettlement Directorate is FULL TIME working on providing GUARDS. Their imagination is restricted by their intelligence. Is this how WE respect our OWN men?

Industry finds no other way to employ them. GUARDS. A JCO as guard? Giving 12 hours duty THIRTY days a month? That’s Industry. Kendriya Sainik Boards, Directorate General of Resettlement, Secretary ESM Welfare, Chiefs are all the biggest living example of FAILED leadership. The fact that even TODAY men join as GUARDS speaks of failed Military and Bureaucratic Leadership of last three decades. The proudest of our soldiers look like a heap of pity with perpetual sadness in their eyes. EVER MET ONE? These are the soldiers on Rajpath on 26 Jan, Guard of Honours, Counter Insurgency, War, Flood Relief, Kashmir, Ladakh, Glacier, Sikkim, Arunachal, United Nation Missions in short SARVATRA, they are everywhere. Can anyone have courage to look into their eyes? How many have written about what I write? Aren’t we to blame? A common saying in Army is that a dead soldier leaves much for his family but a living veteran can barely make two ends meet. Reality is bitter. These soldiers taste bitterness from 37 years of age. GUARDS. Salary? Directorate General of Resettlement says approx Rs 18,000/- per month. They provide guards to PSUs. The soldier must pay rent, food, commuting, travel on leave and medical from 18K. He must work away from home. Savings? ZERO. He cannot take up Guards work in private. Reason? PASARA – Private firms permitted in security employ rural uneducated youth at salaries of Rs 9-10K per month. Just step out and ask salary of first guard you meet on the street. A proud soldier resigns to fate and his self-esteem crashes. A sad end to glorious career.

WE AS LEADERS CAN DO SO MUCH, WE DONT.

I will cover state of Officers in next part.

LIFE OF VETERAN IN INDIA : PART – 3 : VETERAN OFFICERS : HOW IS YOUR MORALE? Silence……

MUST READ

AWARENESS SERIES : ARMED FORCES WIDOWS – PART 1 : WIDOW NOT BY CHOICE – https://colsanjaypande.com/awareness-series-armed-forces-widows-part-1-widow-not-by-choice/

AWARENESS SERIES : ARMED FORCES WIDOWS – PART 2 –WIDOWS – GO DIE A THIRD DEATH https://colsanjaypande.com/awareness-series-armed-forces-widows-part-2-widows-go-die-a-third-death/

AWARENESS SERIES – ARMED FORCES WIDOWS – PART 3 – DISCRIMINATION IN  DEATH https://colsanjaypande.com/awareness-series-armed-forces-widows-part-3-discrimination-in-death/

LIFE OF VETERAN IN INDIA : PART – 1 : BIRTH OF “ORPHAN OF STATE” https://colsanjaypande.com/life-of-veteran-in-india-part-1-birth-of-orphan-of-state/

LIFE OF VETERAN IN INDIA : PART – 2 : PRIDE OF UNIFORM TO SHAME ON STREET

Copyright (c) Col Sanjay Pande