India’s defence sector needs better working conditions

[kurup]

India has the tremendous disadvantage of having two hostile and some not-so-friendly neighbours. In this situation a declining morale of the guardians of the nation’s frontiers is the last thing that the government or society wants.
In two days in succession there have been news highlighting the plight of two wings of the Indian defence forces. Just a day after the fire tragedy on the INS Sindhuratna — costing the lives of two naval officers — came the report on Thursday of a Rashtriya Rifles soldier in Jammu and Kashmir killing five of his colleagues before turning the trigger on himself.


While the first is a question of technological preparedness, the lack of which can be deadly, the second, the latest in a series, is one of stress that India’s army has to go through while guarding inhospitable terrain, away from family or home. It is noteworthy that a large number of cases of fratricidal killing have occurred in J&K. According to a statement from the defence ministry in Parliament, about 100 soldiers are committing suicide each year since 2003. With the advent of the mobile phone, pressure from families thousands of miles away can be excruciating. Also, studies done by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research point to a breakdown in officer-soldier relations. The problem has been compounded by the fact the army personnel is short by about 45,000, including more than 10,000 of officer rank.

Another problem of the defence forces relates to anomalies in the pay structure and the pension system. Till the mid-70s there used to be a separate pay commission for the defence sector. Once that was done away with, distortions began to emerge in the way salary scales were determined and the consequence of this was a plethora of litigation, leading to a Supreme Court order directing the government to pay salary arrears with interest to more than 20,000 soldiers, serving as well as retired. Representation in the pay commission has been a long-standing demand, which has again been ignored by the government for the seventh pay commission. In addition to this, though soldiers retiring before 60 are sometimes re-employed by the Centre, the practice of deducting their pension that they are supposed to get as retired servicemen from their new salary has been a source of disaffection.

India has the tremendous disadvantage of having two hostile and some not-so-friendly neighbours. In this situation a declining morale of the guardians of the nation’s frontiers is the last thing that the government or society wants. A career in defence — once a matter of prestige — is in danger of losing its attractiveness. The new government should do everything at its command to restore healthy working conditions in the army. A beginning towards that end can be not involving the army in tackling things such as communal riots and let the soldiers remain in the barracks except in a war-like situation.

India’s defence sector needs better working conditions | idrw.org

 

[Levina]

About the officer-soldier relationship......well we still have the "sahayak system" in our Army that should prove the existence of colonial mentality that we still harbor.

 

[Dem!god]

About the officer-soldier relationship......well we still have the "sahayak system" in our Army that should prove the existence of colonial mentality that we still harbor.

you don't like Sahayak system.....
you think its colonial mentality.....ok....read this...

The Armed Forces: THE SAHAYAK SYSTEM IN THE ARMED FORCES

 

[ziaulislam]

i dont think so relation wih china or pakistan are worse at all. the problem lies somewhere else.

 

[Levina]

you don't like Sahayak system.....
you think its colonial mentality.....ok....read this...

The Armed Forces: THE SAHAYAK SYSTEM IN THE ARMED FORCES

You're showing this to the wrong person.
I know and have seen what happens to these so called sahayaks in army. Dont forget I have an army background.I am not media educated on this topic about army. (One reason why i maintain my rank same as in army and not as that of IAF )

 

[Dem!god]

You're showing this to the wrong person.
I know and have seen what happens to these so called sahayaks in army. Dont forget I have an army background.I am not media educated on this topic about army. (One reason why i maintain my rank same as in army and not as that of IAF )

hahaha...
Okay....
but then think it in this way.....every elite whether it is army, airforce or navy get sahayaks at home....
+ IAS, IPS, IES and all other administrative/engineering services too...
so, the no. of such person working here is very large......
thus helping the poor to get job and feed their family....suppose if this system is close all the D group people working for A group people will loose job and then what will they do....

 

[Levina]

hahaha...
Okay....
but then think it in this way.....every elite whether it is army, airforce or navy get sahayaks at home....
+ IAS, IPS, IES and all other administrative/engineering services too...
so, the no. of such person working here is very large......
thus helping the poor to get job and feed their family....suppose if this system is close all the D group people working for A group people will loose job and then what will they do....

Nooooo......
Once my dad told me this and it makes perfect sense to me that these sahayaks are actually soldiers who join the army with dreams to fight for their country but if you make them polish your shoe then nothing can be more humilating and demoralising.
They need more respect.

 

[Dem!god]

Nooooo......
Once my dad told me this and it makes perfect sense to me that these sahayaks are actually soldiers who join the army with dreams to fight for their country but if you make them polish your shoe then nothing can be more humilating and demoralising.
They need more respect.

I won't argue much on it.....
because I know stakes are not in my favor......and all the other will jump in and name me imperialist and of colonial mindset......
but will discuss with you on other thread....

 

[Levina]

but will discuss with you on other thread....

Sure we will.

 

[OrionHunter]

About the officer-soldier relationship......well we still have the "sahayak system" in our Army that should prove the existence of colonial mentality that we still harbor.

An officer needs a sahayak in field areas and during war. He is the officer's man Friday who does the background tasks so that the officer can concentrate on the battle.

It is the sahayak who gets the officer his meals from the langar (cookhouse) in field areas as other than at the battalion HQ, there is no officers mess at posts. He's the one who makes him tea whilst on the move, during long range patrols etc. He's the one who ensures the officer's weapon and equipment is well maintained.

And that's it. So what's 'colonial' about it? It's more of a necessity.

But yes, sahayaks must be banned in peace areas. In fact there are orders now to employ civilian 'sevadars' in peace locations.

 

[Levina]

An officer needs a sahayak in field areas and during war. He is the officer's man Friday who does the background tasks so that the officer can concentrate on the battle.

It is the sahayak who gets the officer his meals from the langar (cookhouse) in field areas as other than at the battalion HQ, there is no officers mess at posts. He's the one who makes him tea whilst on the move, during long range patrols etc. He's the one who ensures the officer's weapon and equipment is well maintained.

Officially yes .....thats what a sahayak is supposed to do.Nobody wants to burden an officer with things like doing brasso on his stars and then taking his soiled clothes to the "dhobi" etc.For all this they've helpers to help them.
Thats perfectly fine.

And that's it. So what's 'colonial' about it? It's more of a necessity.

Well the trouble starts when these sahayaks are expected to do the household chores.Let us count the number of sahayks a Lt.Col in the army has....hmmm...a driver....a gardener....a cook....a normal helper.The number increases as the rank of the officer increases.
Scenes of soldiers driving the wives of their officers to beauty parlours, or their children/relatives for shopping are common....fethching milk from the market....going and purchasing things from canteen.I dont want to degrade our army further.
But would you deny of this ??? This is so malodorous....stinks of colonialism.
The soldiers don’t complain because they are poor, underpaid, overburdened, enrolled as teenagers and live in complete isolation. Officers often play foul if the jawans don’t obey them.

 

[OrionHunter]

Officially yes .....thats what a sahayak is supposed to do.Nobody wants to burden an officer with things like doing brasso on his stars and then taking his soiled clothes to the "dhobi" etc.For all this they've helpers to help them.
Thats perfectly fine.

Well the trouble starts when these sahayaks are expected to do the household chores.Let us count the number of sahayks a Lt.Col in the army has....hmmm...a driver....a gardener....a cook....a normal helper.The number increases as the rank of the officer increases.
Scenes of soldiers driving the wives of their officers to beauty parlours, or their children/relatives for shopping are common....fethching milk from the market....going and purchasing things from canteen.

Wow, Levina!! And pray, how the dickens do you know all this? What's your connection with the army?

(P.S. A CO doesn't have any gardeners! They are civilians ).

 

[Levina]

Wow, Levina!! And pray, how the dickens do you know all this? What's your connection with the army?

(P.S. A CO doesn't have any gardeners! They are civilians ).

A full colonel is a CO.
The gardeners are sepoys.They work in the kitchen garden as well mow the lawns.
And I am a typical army brat....how else do you think I landed in a defence forum??
Btw how about you?? How do you know so much about Indian army???

 

[OrionHunter]

A full colonel is a CO.
The gardeners are sepoys.They work in the kitchen garden as well mow the lawns.
And I am a typical army brat....how else do you think I landed in a defence forum??
Btw how about you?? How do you know so much about Indian army???

Same here! But I ain't a brat!!!!!

Ok, as for the kitchen garden, no one forces them - at least I never did! These guys volunteer to maintain them! Because they are allowed to take half of the produce home to their families, thus effecting a lot of saving in their kitchen budget!!

 

[Levina]

Ok, as for the kitchen garden, no one forces them - at least I never did! These guys volunteer to maintain them! Because they are allowed to take half of the produce home to their families, thus effecting a lot of saving in their kitchen budget!!

So you partly do agree to my point.
Its not just about gardening....and you know that.