1. A soldier leads a life with a lots of hardships like postings far away from home, difficult terrain, risk to life and limbs, prolonged duty hours (with NO compensatory off for working on Sundays / holidays - as available to civilian counter parts), frequent postings from one end of the country to another resulting in difficulty in giving good education to children (not all places offer KOTA type training for budding Engineers / Doctors / Civil services candidates), lack of family accommodation not to forget CI.
2. To add to the misery, a soldier is sent on retirement at the young age of 35-37 years (just because we want to keep Services young), when his family commitments are on the rise. His children are school going (3rd / 4th standard), his parents are old (will require treatment / medical care) and his income reduces to less than 50 % of what he was earning. If a soldier is lucky, he gets a SECURITY GUARD's job after retirement, which earns him just 2000 rupees. This is because being in uniform for 15-18 years, where value system is different, he has become UNFIT for CIVIL way of life.
All these difficulties are known to countrymen.Then how can a Pay Commission be NOT aware of these hardships and compares a soldier with a peon / messanger in civil, who do not endanger life , retire at the age of 58 / 60 and have other ways to suppliment their income (just visit any Govt office issuing some certificate to know this). Hope and wish some one listens and acts.
Well I also think that soldiers should be treated well. I think the jawans should get the highest benefit and be rewarded the most by a maximum salary hike. Secondly, the officers of the armed forces who are posted to a field duty who actually face the hardships should be given a very good pay hike. But what about the officers who are posted on peace postings? Well they enjoy all the luxury benifits but have no work but to enjoy thier office from 7am to 2pm. I think during their peace posting they should not be given pay hike...
I agree with Air Marshal Randhawa that armed forces should not be used for Natural Calamities and insurgency. I have pointed this out before that India has the most pathetic Emergency response system. Infact it will be fair to say that we don't have emergency system at all. In countries who are less economically developed than us, the most basic thing they have is emergency services, rescue squads, ambulances. But everytime there is a terror attack or a natural disaster, we see no rescue squads, no ambulances. Mostly people r carrying others in clothes or on their shoulders. Armed forces are called to assist while it is not there job. India must create immediately a reasonable emergency response system at the district level as many lives r lost everyday due to lack of such a system.
it is a good article for me when i was thinking in same pattern and iwish to join army as an advisor if the millitry allows me with application submitted to U.P.S.C. NEW DELHI
The work & worth of a soldier is incomparable with those of any civilian soldier.The services of defence personnel cannot be measusred in terms of money & any thing paid to them is less for the risk they take & the sacrifices they make.They are on duty 24 hours leaving their families & staking their lives unlike the civilian employees who have limited working hours spending their leisure times with their families with almost zero risk.One will only be exposing his ignorance-rather foolishness when he queries that a soldier has no work when there is no war & prove white elephants during the rest of time forgetting that their services are always gainfully utilised for serving their fellow citizens in the most unexpected events of natural calmities like floods,earth quakes,outburst of dreadful epidemics & for dealing with situations of civil disturbances.It is fact that Sixth Pay Commission has not recommended any thing worth while for improvement in the pay structure of the defence people & recently,this was also taken up by a top official of the forces.If every one of the country wants to lead a civil life with peace & families side by,who are to defend our country & let the country men sleep with peace?The motivation for choosing the defence services as career is dipping mainly due to inadequate pay structures when all others are almost getting them periodically with geometric revisions.The protector of the country needs to be given all incentives in our own interest.
RE:Defence personnel need to be treated well
by RC on Jul 02, 2008 10:11 AM Permalink
Well i agree and respect the people who work hard 24hrs a day...well it wont be justice to other millions of people who also slog their day and night...risk life..and who wont be accorded gallantry award..so every one in our country works hard not only soldiers/army they are recognised no doubt..but thats the same with even a cycle rikshaw waalla..he too slogs the whole day...he too feeds his family maximum no of BPL people are in india...
RE:Defence personnel need to be treated well
by mallaiah anchoori on Jul 02, 2008 02:05 PM Permalink
There is a marked difference between a soldier and a labourer in the field of a village or a rickshaw puller in a town.The former too,though works for a pay,is for the defence of the country exposing his life to the peril the chances of which are abundant in a battle field,while in case of all others it is mainly to feed himself & his kith and kin.This subtler,but fundamental difference in their roles vis-a-vis to society and to the country at large,may please be understood.One who struggles for defence of the country cannot be equated with one who toils to fill his belly.I sympathise fully with the poor of the country,but that does not mean that they should be compared with warriors.I am not against emancipation of the poor and down trodden.
RE:Defence personnel need to be treated well
by amit on Jul 02, 2008 05:26 PM Permalink
I blv you are being too much emotional for this pay package..but in finance you can not simply equate risk with money and calculate the salary of one individual..issue is not to provide the insurance but salary..indeed efforts of soldiers are extra ordinary but in no way it can be given as a reason fo salary hikes...if you consider a government doctor he too works in a risky enviornment of a civil hospital, so should he be given a high salary for this?or consider any engineer at any rig site?yeah sounds crazy right but thats what will be the outcome if we will start considering the risk to calculate salary.Money can never substitute the risk for life and the argument that working condition should be the reason for any extra ordinary salry hike is pathetic.
RE:Defence personnel need to be treated well
by amit pandey on Jul 02, 2008 10:30 AM Permalink
money..money..money..I blv by asking for more money,the armed forces are behaving like trade unions.They themselve are degrading the high ethics and standards associated with serving the nation.The officer rank is given every facility and perks to live more than a decent middle class life..Its the lower rank in army which suffers the most and alas no one cares about them..
RE:RE:Defence personnel need to be treated well
by vijay on Jul 02, 2008 03:50 PM Permalink
dont sit there and shout.... move urself to any field location. juss stay for 72 hrs . u will realize the life we lead..
RE:RE:Defence personnel need to be treated well
by mallaiah anchoori on Jul 02, 2008 02:15 PM Permalink
Mr Pandey! I agree that there could be disparities in wage structure and benefits conferred on various cadres of the defence personnel.That is a separate issue and needs to be addressed separately.There is nothing wrong in pleading for improvement in their pay structure.They are after all not bonded labour but forces working nobly for national cause which should rank first above all.You and me are able to to participate and enjoy the discussion board like this thanks to their defending our country.The ethics & standards of Indian defence forces is of the highest order in the world;it is second to none please.
The NDA in its present form is structured to serve the needs of 20th century battles. The technologies of war have changed in this Millennium. The rape of Iraq proves that satellites and missiles can be used for precision destruction, while the durability of guerilla warfare is not to be denied. The NDA has a glorious past, but it has to look forward to future challenges that threaten the integrity of our Mother Land.
Air Marshall Randhawa is very articulate and intelligent. That is what the Armed forces also do - they make real men out of people. Composed, intelligent, courageous, Kshatriya/warriors who protect the nation and its people asking little in return. The rest of us, especially me....we just talk and write on rediff ....and try and make more money!!!!!
RE:RE:Wonderful
by ravinandanprakash agrawal on Jul 02, 2008 12:41 AM Permalink
to kuch kar na bbai.. apne baare main bura bol ke khud ko different dikhana koi naya funda hai kya?
RE:Wonderful
by karthik eyan on Jul 02, 2008 02:35 AM Permalink
all the people could not be warriors dude some should be working in BPO's to pay the taxes so no worry
