(b) Age profile of ISF will be hit adversely by the lateral shift
Presently the average age of recruitment in the army is 19 years while in central police forces personnel up to the age of 26 years are recruited and thereafter trained for at least one year. If the army soldiers are laterally shifted after 7 years in the services, average age of fully trained inductees will be 26 years. As such, the age profile of ISF will remain totally unaffected.
(c) Army personnel are trained to kill while in internal security duties considerable restraint has to be exercised
Army personnel are highly disciplined. Since Independence, the army is increasingly involved in counter-insurgency operations as also rendering aid to the civil authority in the maintenance of law and order. Its record has been exemplary. Soldiers are trained to use minimum force and act in good faith. Therefore, it is totally incorrect to say that soldiers are only trained to kill. In any case, fighting armed insurgents requires use of considerable force, much beyond the capability of regular police forces.
(d) Side-stepping would curtail employment opportunities for new entrants
Presently, soldiers retire from the army after completing a maximum of 17 years of service. Another employment has to be found for them. Through lateral move to ISF, army retirees would get gainful employment up to 60 years of age. Therefore, no real loss in employment opportunities will occur. It is just that employment would be provided to ex-servicemen rather than raw personnel.
Incidentally, CRPF issued a notification on 05 Apr 2010, offering contractual engagement to 1950 ex-servicemen of age less than 40 years in the post of constables for a period of 5 years (extendable to 7 years).
Benefits of the Suggested Proposal
Currently, the army is facing a shortage of officers close to 18 percent of its authorised strength. Due to steep pyramid-like hierarchical structure, the only solution lies in making SSC attractive. Presently, insecurity about future prospects deters many youth from applying for SSC. They fear that failure to get Permanent Commission will make them jobless in the prime of their lives with full family responsibilities to boot. As financial remunerations and hand-shake packages can never compensate for uncertain future, youth has to be assured of a life time career to be motivated to opt for SSC. Lateral shift to ISF will provide a highly attractive avenue. It would also help keep the age profile of the defence forces young.
Approximately 40,000 young, well trained and physically fit soldiers are released from the defence forces every year. This highly disciplined and trained pool of manpower is lost to the country without being put to any productive use. ISF will get trained manpower with rich experience in anti-terrorist and counterinsurgency duties. Further, as the trained manpower of the defence forces will remain engaged in a life time employment, no subversive elements will be able to misguide them for anti-social activities.
The pension bill of the Government will get significantly curtailed as pension will be due to the retiring servicemen only after 30/33 years of service as against 17 years of service at present. Additionally, ISF would save on recruitment and training costs of personnel. SPC had also recommended similar lateral movement to CPO.
During times of war, ISF units could be put under army formations to control internal situation and secure lines of communications. Thus, India’s war effort would get augmented.
Conclusion
The Government will do well to learn from the declaration made by the US Secretary of Defence Robert M. Gates at the Naval Academy in April 2010. He pledged, “And when I send you in harm’s way, as I will, I will do everything in my power to see that you have what you need to accomplish your mission – and come home safely”. Contrast the above pledge with the attitude of the Indian Government. In utter disregard to their safety, it has inducted ill-equipped and inadequately trained CRPF forces to battle Naxalites, making them easy fodder for the elusive insurgents. It is a grave and criminal dereliction of duty, grossly unfair to CRPF personnel and their hapless families.
As seen above, embroilment of the army in counter-Naxalite operations is the worst thing that can happen to the country. Creation of ISF is an extremely viable scheme that harnesses the expertise and experience of ex-servicemen. It will not only result in substantial financial savings to the Government but will also guarantee life time employment to scores of ex-service personnel. Therefore, it should be implemented in its entirety without any delay.
A word of caution would not be out of place here. The fundamental strength of ISF would lie in its ex-servicemen character and it should not be diluted. Authorities must resist temptation to use higher appointments in ISF to park police officers. ISF should not go National Security Guard way, wherein the real punch is provided by the military component but ironically, the Director General is a police officer.
Flood Relief: Another Perspective
Massive floods of 2018 reminded me of my own experience in Bihar. The year was 1971. I was a young Captain in an Engineer regiment. We were participating in a war exercise in the deserts of Rajasthan to hone our battle procedures and battle drills. War with Pakistan looked imminent and the armed forces were gearing up for it. It was the month of August when in response to an urgent call for military’s aid in flood relief, I was asked to take a column of 120 troops and move post-haste to Barauni in Bihar for flood relief operations. Driving throughout the night, the column reached Lucknow early in the morning and collected boats, outboard motors (OBM), life jackets and other stores. The column was on its way to Barauni by the evening. Foreseeing need for emergent rescue of stranded people, we wanted to reach Barauni without any loss of time.
By the time the column reached Barauni the next day, it was already dark. Without wasting any time, I set out to meet the local SDO who was to coordinate the relief effort. I was amazed to see him sitting comfortably in a well starched ‘pajama-kurta’ in the local Inspection Bungalow, enjoying his evening drink. He was apparently happy to see me and asked me to settle down for the night. Noticing my confusion, he added “Captain Saheb, nobody is dying. Sleep peacefully and we shall meet in the morning.”
Early next morning, we checked our boats, tested OBMs and mustered all other stores to be ready to plunge into the flood waters at short notice. I was in for a bigger surprise when I met the SDO later in the day. His opening question was whether my column was carrying personal weapons and wireless sets. I replied in the affirmative and informed him that troops always move with their authorized warlike stores. “Great, that will make the task much easier,” he exclaimed.
He took out a map of Barauni area, laid it on the table and commenced, “First of all, no area is under flood waters and there are no marooned people. We have requisitioned your help under the garb of flood relief to help us protect the Barauni Industrial Complex. The complex consists of an oil refinery, a thermal power plant and a fertilizer factory. It is protected from the river waters by 36 km long Gupta-Lakhminia Bund. The bund faces threat not from the river waters but from the local population.”
“I can see that you are surprised, but it is the truth. Locals want flood waters in their villages as they get aid, exemption from taxes and writing off of loans. Additionally, flood waters bring rich fresh soil which gives them a bumper crop,” he added. “What about damage to their property?” I queried. “Their sole possession is a buffalo. Cattle are moved to higher ground in advance. Yes, their shacks do get washed away but that loss is insignificant,” was his frank reply.
He further explained that my column was expected to patrol the complete length of the bund with weapons and wireless sets, both by day and night, to prevent any breach by the locals. No boats or other flood relief stores were required. I was totally perplexed – my column had been requisitioned under disaster relief but was being asked to perform duties relating to maintenance of law and order. Instead of protecting people from the flood waters, I was being asked