UN missions abroad have many Shakti Devis
With Inspector Shakti Devi of Jammu & Kashmir Police winning this year's International Female Police Peacekeeper Award, the spotlight has been shone on India's significant but oft-ignored role in peacekeeping around the world. Inspector Devi, currently deployed with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, received the award for her exceptional achievements in promoting the democratic principles of policing in the war-torn country. She helped establish Women Police Councils and also assisted victims of sexual and gender-based violence in Afghanistan. Inspector Devi is one among thousands of Indian security personnel who are currently serving in peacekeeping forces around the world. This year alone, India has sent more than 8,000 men and women — the world's second largest contingent — to 12 missions across Africa and West Asia. Most of them are soldiers from the Indian military and paramilitary forces, but there are also about a 1,000 police officers serving in the conflict region. This includes the Indian policewomen serving in liberia, who form the first Female Formed Police Unit under the UN. Their stellar role in maintaining peace at the community level has not only paved the way for similar police units but also inspired liberian women to join their own police force. Historically, India has been the biggest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions. Since the 1950s, it has sent nearly 1,80,000 troops, participated in more than 44 missions, and lost more than 100 soldiers in these foreign conflicts. less than a year ago, in December 2013, three Indian peacekeepers were killed in South Sudan when an ethnic militia attacked their base. But it's not just boots on the ground that India has offered to UN peacekeeping missions. Several high-ranking generals and police officers have also participated in these missions and helped train local armies and police forces. Additionally, India also contributes weapons and attack helicopters, often bearing a disproportionate amount of the burden in these missions. For example, in 2011, it had 17 helicopters in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, while the rest of the world sent only one.
Notably, even though Western contribution to UN peacekeeping missions has dropped to below two per cent in recent years, from 25 per cent during the Cold War, India's support has not dwindled. This has been in spite of the fact that the traditional incentives that these missions offered to Indian forces have lost much of their allure. The difference in pay scales, for example, has narrowed, and the foreign missions are no longer the kind of ‘meal tickets’ that they used to be. Also, training facilities at home are now up to the mark, so Indian soldiers don't benefit much from foreign experience. On the contrary, their own experience with counter-terrorism at home is highly valued at the UN missions, given the sub-conventional nature of most conflicts these days.