Compulsory Military Service to Govt Servants – Matter is with DOPT
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has recommended five years Compulsory Military Service to Government Servants to be made mandatory and it was informed that the matter is now with DOPT
The Standing Committee on Defence, headed by Maj Gen B C Khanduri, AVSM (Retd) has submitted its 40th Report on ‘Demands for Grants (2018-19)’ to the Central Government this month.
The Committee, taking into the account of acute shortage of manpower in Officers Rank in Armed forces, has recommended five Years Compulsory Military Service should be Made mandatory for Government Officers on their initial appointment to address this issue. When the Committee asked the Ministry of Defence about the status of this recommendation, the Ministry has said that the matter has been taken up with DOPT and response of the Department is awaited
The Committee has taken serious view over the functioning of Bureaucrats in respect of addressing the issue of Shortage of Manpower in Armed Forces. The standing Committee is not satisfied with the Ministry’s reply and made the following observations and recommendations in the Report.
The observation and Recommendation of the Committee as follows …
Shortage of manpower in the forces
” From the data furnished by the Ministry, the Committee note that there is a shortage of 7679 Officers and 20,185 JCOs/ORs in Army, 1434 Officers and 14,730 Sailors in Navy, 146 Officers and 15,357 Airmen in Air Force”
While examining the Demands for Grants 2017-18, the Committee pondered on this issue and recommended for providing five years of compulsory military service to such aspirants wanting to directly join Central and State Government Gazetted services. The Ministry, in its Action Taken Reply on the matter has stated that the recommendation regarding providing five years compulsory military service to such aspirants wanting to directly join Central and State Government services, with a view to overcome shortage of officers in Armed Forces, has been taken up with Department of Personnel and Training (DoP&T). The response of the Department is awaited.
Apparently, the Ministry of Defence has not taken up the matter with due seriousness with the DOP&T. The Committee, while recommending five years of compulsory military service to such aspirants wanting to directly join Central and State Government Gazetted services, have taken into account the fact that there is a perennial and alarming shortage of Officers and PBOR in the Armed Forces, which needs to be corrected. The Committee, once again express their desire that the issue of shortage of officers needs to be given priority for being addressed.”
In the same report the Committee fired the Ministry of Defence on another issue with the following comments
“ The Committee found the reply as bureaucratic in nature and not conveying anything about specific actions taken or proposed”Â
So it appears that the Standing Committee on Defence is very serious in addressing the issue of Shortage of Manpower in Armed Forces by enforcing Five Years Compulsory Military Service to such aspirants wanting to directly join Central and State Government Gazetted services .
As the matter is now with DOPT, it is believed that the Central Government may accepts this recommendation though it had earlier rejected the Proposals submitted in Parliament for implementation of Compulsory Military Training for Youths and Citizens [ Click to Read ]
Earlier the Proposal of Compulsory Military Training was rejected by then UPA Government also [ Click here to Read ]
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Since the authorised strength of various Central Government Departments are tapering due to computerisation and in some cases closure of Offices due to administrative reasons it is not clear as to how this will alleviate the perennial shortage in the Armed Forces. Besides, the staff for Central Government Departments are inducted from UPSC and SSC with reference to the shortage. This excercise is time consuming and after selection if the successful candidates had to undergo compulsory military training the day-to-day work in the respective Central Government Departments would be affected. Instead Central Government should bring in “conspriction”, in our constitution.
Indian military officers do not understand the difference between discipline and slavery. This is one major deterrent. Military corruption swept under the carpet in the name of security. If civilians do military service, they too would learn how to be organised and secretive to maintain corrupt environments
Welcome step & hope it is implement -ed soon. Many time this proposal came up but successive Govt.failed.Now that under our PM Narendra Modiji’s great leadership ability a National feeling has now already arison specially among our youth to do something for their motherland. I would like to add that NCC training at schools & colleges may be made compulsary which will be an added force for Nation building.
Rather, to qualify for any UPSC exam for direct recruitment of Group ‘A’ Posts, it should be made compulsory for the candidates of IAS & Allied Cadre Services to work at least for 5 years as JCOs (not Commissioned Officers) in Armed Forces and for another period of 5 years in subordinate position as clerk/ assistant to help them gain experience of grass root levels of the processes of the Government of India and States to fulfill the needs of common public. Present day system of recruitment of IAS & Allied Cadre Services are aimed only to fill egos in the minds of the DRs instead of understanding the Rules and Procedures for the welfare of the Society at large.