Before the lok Sabha elections, Indian Army veterans here on Saturday reminded political parties that defence personnel and their families comprise a sizeable chunk of voters, therefore, Nelson’s eye should not be turned on them.
A seminar entitled ‘Does the Nation Care for its Armed ForcesIJ’, conducted in the Madhya Pradesh capital, witnessed former officers highlighting issues concerning Armed Forces personnel, particularly post-retirement woes.
While talking to media persons, former vice-chief of the Army Staff lieutenant General Milan Naidu, Yudh Seva Medal, said, “Media has a crucial role in influencing society’s attitude towards the Army so that people understand the personnel’s problems and a constructive debate is initiated.”
Brigadier (Retd) Prabir Goswami, Vishisht Seva Medal, who commanded the 16 Independent Armoured Brigade during Operation Vijay, said several countries constructed war memorials as a mark of respect to their martyrs but India does not possess one.
“In other countries, the common man comprehends the importance of medals on uniforms of decorated personnel but in our country even political leaders are unaware of their significance,” he regretted.
Colonel (Retd) MK Tyagi lamented that only 1.7 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product is allocated for defence expenditure in comparison to 4.4 per cent in the United States, over 2 per cent in China and more than 3 per cent in Pakistan.
Underlining the need for the political class to begin understanding the intricacies of defence matters, he said, “The Defence Ministry has no representation from the Armed Forces primarily due to the misplaced ‘coup syndrome’. The trust deficit between the Army and the bureaucracy needs to be removed.”
Col Tyagi said the pay commissions created anomalies in grades of personnel and civilian government employees. “God, the doctor and the soldier are remembered only in crisis,” he quipped.
Mentioning the plight of ex-servicemen, Col (Retd) MK Mishra said, “The ESM finds it difficult to secure jobs despite provisions regarding lateral absorption because of the reluctance of state governments and organisations concerned. It is cumbersome for retired personnel to even obtain firearms’ licenses so that they can get employment in the security sector.”