National

Survey finds Army morale high

By Praveen Swami

NEW DELHI, FEB. 7 . India's first-ever survey on the attitudes of Army personnel has shown that soldiers have high levels of morale and confidence in democratic institutions — but has also raised concerns over corruption and communalisation.

Conducted by social scientists at the Centre for the Study of Developing Society for the weekly newspaper Tehelka, the path-breaking study examines the soldiers' attitudes to a variety of issues, including working conditions, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, India-Pakistan relations, and the prospect of a nuclear war. Tehelka polled 1,595 serving soldiers of all ranks, spread across all the five major commands.

Although received wisdom holds that soldiers are increasingly unhappy with service conditions, 68 per cent of those polled said that they were highly satisfied with their jobs. Thirty per cent said that they were somewhat satisfied with their service, while one per cent apiece said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Ninety-five per cent expressed a high degree of confidence in their leadership, a key index of morale.

India's soldiers also seemed confident of its military preparedness. Ninety eight per cent of the soldiers believed India would defeat Pakistan in the event of a war, and 82 per cent felt they were well prepared for a nuclear conflict. Sixty-five per cent polled said they were concerned about the prospect of a nuclear war.

Most soldiers also seemed happy with their status. Ninety-two per cent said they received respect from society, and 77 per cent said they would like their children to join the Army. Most soldiers also said they would like their daughters to marry Army personnel, an indication of confidence in the service.

Interestingly, however, less than a third of soldiers' wives shared their husbands' perceptions on this issue. An overwhelming 90 per cent of the Army personnel's wives said their family life would have been happier had their husbands not been in the services.

A majority of soldiers, 61 per cent said they believed democracy was the best form of government. A disturbing 27 per cent, however, expressed support for military rule. Only 23 per cent of soldiers expressed faith in political parties, a perception that is perhaps in line with the attitudes of society at large. Interestingly, the most highly-regarded Premier by the serving soldiers was the former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Corruption and communalism were major areas of concern for a large number. A quarter believed that bribes were paid for arms procurements, and just under a fifth felt there was corruption in Army recruitment. Forty-five per cent said they believed the Army Supply Corps was the most corrupt wing, a widely-held perception among experts outside the military as well.

Disturbingly, 18 per cent of Hindu soldiers polled, along with 24 per cent of Muslims, 20 per cent of Sikhs and 11 per cent of Christians, held that there was some degree of religious discrimination within the Army. Twenty-four per cent of soldiers polled also felt there was caste-based discrimination. There have been a string of scandals over the last few years involving officers lobbying political parties for promotions on the basis of their religious affiliations.

The survey data does not enable a determination of whether this feeling of discrimination among troops has increased over time.

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