The Hindu : Utilise skills, ex-Defence personnel told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Utilise skills, ex-Defence personnel told

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Jan. 21. The Minister for Large- and Medium-scale Industries, R.V. Deshpande, said here on Tuesday that with most industries downsizing to cut costs, former Defence personnel should also think in terms of starting their own enterprises with the potential for growth.

Mr. Deshpande was addressing a seminar on "Human Resource in ex-Defence Personnel", organised by the Directorate General of Resettlement, Ministry of Defence, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Defence personnel who retired at a relatively young age had multiple skills and there should be room for them in private sector industries. With their aptitude for discipline, dedication, and motivation for hard work, they could also be employed effectively in public sector undertakings, Mr. Deshpande said. More youths would be attracted to the armed services if they found that retiring personnel were successful in re-establishing themselves in civilian life.

Major General V.S. Budhwar, Director General, Resettlement, said that former Defence personnel were not isolated from "market forces" as many in business and industry believed. The annual Defence budget now amounted to Rs. 62,000 crore and many officers in the armed forces needed financial management skills for cost-effective use of limited resources. They were also skilled in time management and many had IT skills. Many modern management principles had, in fact, evolved from wartime requirements of the armed forces.

The industry-Defence sector partnership for manufacturing had come to stay and Defence-based industries would become as important as in developed countries, Maj. Gen. Budhwar said. Such industries may prefer employing former defence personnel while others could set up allied enterprises of their own.

The Chairman, CII Southern Region, and Executive Director, Amco Batteries Ltd., S. Ananthanarayanan, said many in industry and business were still unaware of the vast human resources in the form of nearly 66,000 Defence personnel retiring each year.

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