The Hindu : Panel endorses need for younger Army

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 28, 2002

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Panel endorses need for younger Army

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 27. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has strongly recommended several reforms in the service conditions of defence personnel to make a career in the armed forces more attractive as well as bring down the average age of personnel at the cutting edge.

It has asked the Government to seriously consider reducing the period of colour service to seven to 10 years from the present 17 years and, thereafter, re-employ these officers and men in the paramilitary forces. The panel based its recommendation on the prevailing scenario of downsizing of workforce which offers little scope for re-employment of middle-aged men. ``Assured re-employment of ex-servicemen will make the new recruitment in armed forces more attractive as a career which will (also) keep the Army young.''

The proposal for a younger Army has been endorsed by the Kargil review committee as well as by the three service chiefs.

The panel asked the Government to take time-bound action on rationalisation and re-definition of the current pension regulations to allow 50 per cent of basic pay at the time of retirement as pension to those personnel who have to retire early at various ranks (before completing 33 years service under inter-linked rank-cum-service condition). At present, this is denied to personnel from the rank of sepoy to naib subedar who get only 33 to 40 per cent pension. In comparison, civilian staff get more pension, as during their longer service period they increase their minimum pay. It wanted the Defence Minister to consider the long-pending demand for `one rank one pension' ``in all seriousness'' in a time-bound manner.

The committee expressed displeasure over the absence of remedial measures two years after a devastating fire swept through the Bharatpur (Rajasthan) ammunition depot. It noted that though the Ministry of Defence had taken some measures to modernise ammunition and ordnance depots, the recurrence of fire in different depots indicated serious lapses in the steps taken so far.

Measures like power-fencing, early warning and electronic alarm systems should be speeded up as any delay in doing this may have grave consequences.

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