Army studies extension of service by 10-18 years

The proposed service extension, backed by army chief General Bipin Rawat, is different from another scheme being implemented by the army to increase the retirement age of jawans by two years, the second officer said.

The Indian Army is scrutinising a proposal that seeks to employ its specialised manpower for longer periods by granting soldiers from some of its select wings a service extension of 10 to 18 years — a move that could benefit more than 400,000 jawans, two senior army officers said on condition of anonymity on Saturday.

The army headquarters asked all seven commands across the country to identify arms and services where soldiers could serve longer but the initial response was not encouraging. The feedback indicated that only about 10% jawans could be eligible for the proposed extended tenure. (AP)

The army is in the process of identifying cadres — ranging from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers and Army Air Defence to Army Aviation and Army Medical Corps — where soldiers can discharge their duties and responsibilities efficiently till the ages of 50, 54 and even 58 instead of retiring at 40, said the first officer cited above.

The proposed service extension, backed by army chief General Bipin Rawat, is different from another scheme being implemented by the army to increase the retirement age of jawans by two years, the second officer said.

The army headquarters asked all seven commands across the country to identify arms and services where soldiers could serve longer but the initial response was not encouraging. The feedback indicated that only about 10% jawans could be eligible for the proposed extended tenure.

The army has a sanctioned strength of nearly 50,000 officers and 1.2 million personnel below officer rank.The army headquarters has sought the views of the commands again as it believes that a significantly higher number of jawans can serve 10 to 18 years more. “An internal assessment suggests that the service of 30%-40% jawans in different arms and services can be progressively extended to 50, 54 and 58 years. It doesn’t make sense to waste trained manpower at an early age when the men still have a lot to contribute to the organisation,” said the first officer.

Jawans get recruited at the age of 17 and retire before they turn 40, with a pension that is not enough to make ends meet. “At that age, the jawans have school-going children. They have to go around looking for jobs as they have other responsibilities too. Increasing the retirement age wherever it is possible will benefit both jawans and the organisation,” said the second officer.

He said the retirement age could be raised to 50, 54 and 58 in a phased manner, depending on the duties the soldiers are required to discharge. “There is no need to retire a technician from the Electronics and Mechanical Engineers at 40.

Likewise, an X-Ray technician from the Army Medical Corps can easily serve till the age of 58. Some people argue that they cannot be posted to difficult areas in their 50s. That’s only a matter of cadre management as younger soldiers can be sent there,” the second officer added.

All aspects related to increasing the retirement age of jawans are being monitored by the army’s adjutant general, a three-star officer. Experts said there was enough scope to increase the retirement age of jawans in select wings.

“As far as frontline combat is concerned, the army needs young blood and circulation has to be there. But there are many areas where the retirement age of jawans can be increased. These areas have to be identified with care,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd).