Losing Out To Harshad Mehta

Why are the armed forces no longer an attractive career option? Poor salaries andliving conditions are cited as the main reasons for a shortage of officers and men. Butthe gradual decline in the status of the forces has also contributed to the notion thatthe services is a thankless profession. Says Rear Admiral (retd) Satyander Singh:"There is no izzat (honour). You are nobody if you are a war hero. These days we as anation are more bothered about Harshad Mehta."

With the number of officers seeking premature retirement on the increase—over1,000 are likely to quit this year—and an  existing shortfall of 12,278officers, the picture is not all rosy. If the Fifth Pay Commission’s salary hikes arenot attractive enough, senior officers predict that the exodus may just increase.

Senior officers point out that the lure of the private sector, which offers far highersalaries, has meant that top-rung students no longer opt for the armed forces. In additionto this, little has been done to project a career in forces as a noble and patriotic one.Points out Major General (retd) Ashok Krishna: "As long as the psychic factor remainsstrong, the attraction of men to join the defence services remains high. By psychic I meanfeatures like patriotism, status and valour. It flows from a feeling of involvement withthe governance of the nation." The Army is now planning to launch an extensiveadvertising campaign to attract the youth to join the force. Four advertising agencieshave been shortlisted to work on the campaign and, if all goes well, the ads will behitting papers across the country in the next three months.

But that alone cannot reverse the trend. Among the youth an impressionis gaining ground that at the end of an arduous tenure the retirement benefits offered bythe forces are nothing to write home about. There are enough serving officers who say theywould not recommend a career in the services for their children. But, as for juniorcommissioned officers and other ranks, given the level of unemployment in the country, itstill comes as a surprise that that there are 58,000 vacancies still waiting to be filled.

An increase in salaries and better living conditions for the officersand their families could help. But at the moment an MBA has more glamour than someone whohas trained in the NDA.