A Tumultuous Journey – From Regulars to Agniveers
Role of Human Resource in Armed Forces
For war’s, true conquest lies not in conquest alone, but in the seeds of peace sown amidst strife, In the weary eyes that yearn for home, And the hope that blooms even in desolation. So let us honour the boots that tread the path, but also seek a victory beyond the battlefield—A world where swords may rest, and the echo of war fades into memory.
The above clearly defines the role of soldier that spreads much beyond the war. The battle is only won when the boots on the ground not only capture the area but also when truly the peace is spread and animosity forgotten. No one can deny the fact that this can only be achieved by a very well-trained army.
Meeting Infantry Manpower Needs by Agniveer – Equating Originals to Photo Copy
If we see the history of Armed forced, 24 regiments were existing before independence. 3 more were added between 1947 and 1970. No further addition was done since 1970 to 2010. 2 more were added between 2010 to 2014. Since 2014 to 2022 no addition took place. As per statista, there were about 50000 Commissioned officers post and against that there was a shortage of 7.4 thousand ( about 14.8%) in 2019. In 2022 Government brought a controversial Agniveer scheme which some generals criticized..
Meeting Navy and Air force Manpower Needs – आग लगे खोदे कुआँ – कैसे आग बुझाए
When we see the history of Naval forces human resources, there is no clear data available in open source resource except on statista that mentions that there were shortages of naval forces 1560 in officers ( about 15% ) and 17000 against 74000 sailors ( Below Officer Rank – nearly 22% ). These were to be met by the controversial Agniveer, the scheme that Army generals were sceptical about.
Similarly the air force there was a shortage of 14000 airmen below officer rank against 143000 sanctioned post (again around 9%) and there was a marginal shortage of 483 against 12600 ( 3.8% ).
A SOLDIER IS NOT MADE IN A DAY – TRAINING HAS A BIG ROLE TO PLAY
Many Defence experts are of the opinion that typically it may take around 8 years before a soldier gets gelled with the unit and wins the trust of the forces that makes him to display the courage, Discipline and Sacrifice if needed. The recruits of Agniveer are like asking a junior to compete with a national team where the end result cannot be predicted.
HALF TRAINED TEAM PLAYER – REDUCES THE TEAM TO HALF
The only rule during the war is that there is no rule during the war.
For a team to effectively work, it is important that every member of the team is not only a fully trained professional but also understands his / her responsibilities. An army unit not only consists of men but also costly equipment. An Inexperienced men would be detrimental to both Man and Machine. This compounds the losses in a war when the army not only looses the trained men but also suffers the valuable equipment loss.
Armed force as a career – Aspirations of a soldier
While it is true that new cadets joining army as would be officers consider Patriotism, Family tradition, Respect they command in society and Adventures in life among many reasons for it. This however can not be plainly applied to simple soldier as their yardstick totally changes here. For them, because they are from comparably economically weaker section, have suffered challenges for good education which poses hindrances in selecting other career opportunities, joining army is an option. Among them, many have family traditions for generations to be a soldier and that makes a career goal for them. They see this employment as a lucrative option considering the job security, good benefits and a good respect in society for the education they have received. This fulfils their ambitions and also makes their parents happy.
The present scheme also clearly misses post-retirement employment program of these Agniveers and also the attractive compensation benefits in case of a casualty during the deployment. On the contrary, those who are not absorbed would have to carry a stigma of not use worthy all their life and the psychological impact of which would be beyond repair.
The present Agniveer scheme conceived by the government has probably missed this aspect of the new recruits and unfortunately it appears to be presenting a picture as if the government wants to encash upon the growing unemployment and helplessness of the unemployed youth. As a country and society, it is not a happy scene.
Developing an army is not a stock market where a short term investment gains and losses are the end objective. Developing an army is like creating wealth that can only be done with long term investment.
FINALLY THE COUNTRY’S BALANCE SHEET – SHORT TERM GAIN is a LONG TERM LOSS
The scheme has missed to achieve few of the critical objectives. It failed to create trust worthy units, It probably failed to meet the incumbent’s needs, it failed to meet a clear war vision and also it failed to have a clear concept of employment after their 4 years of service.
While the congress regimes apparently had a balanced view of defence needs and financials, the current government appears to be having a blurred focus based on several general’s opinion especially when it comes to manpower needs. The fully trained manpower is an absolute need of the armed forces for all times.
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बनेगा सेना का हर सैनिक एक शूर ।।