Entrepreneurship key to resettlement of ex-servicemen

THE INDIAN Armed Forces are well-known the world over for their valour, professionalism and above all, patriotism. History is replete with examples of courage and sacrifice of our valiant soldiers. Their achievements in various fields are a matter of great pride for the nation.

THE INDIAN Armed Forces are well-known the world over for their valour, professionalism and above all, patriotism. History is replete with examples of courage and sacrifice of our valiant soldiers. Their achievements in various fields are a matter of great pride for the nation.

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People from all over the country join the services voluntarily, get happily amalgamated into a potent force by virtue of hard training and wholeheartedly identify with the organization. In fact the services truly represent a unique embodiment of national integrity and unity in diversity. There is no distinction on the basis of caste, creed, religion or linguistic background.

Performance remains the main goal and the credit goes to the impartial and effective system of training, ethics and ethos of the services. Sincerity, loyalty, dedication, camaraderie and true regimental spirit are some of the hallmarks that keep the ‘forces’ ticking. Well-trained and motivated, every individual is prepared to lay down his life for the safety, welfare and honour of his motherland.

Since the nature of the job is arduous and risk- prone, it is imperative to maintain a youthful profile of the organization. Thus, most of the Armed Forces personnel retire early, an approximate figure of 60,000 nearly every year, unlike their Government counterparts who remain holding their posts till 60 years of age. Once a serviceman is out of the organizational umbrella, life begins afresh towards resettlement and re-habilitation. It is not an easy task since most of the time a serviceman remains away from the mainstream of the nation while in service. The prevalent culture and ethos outside is rather different, and diagonally at a variance, from what exists in the Forces. Hence, an acute need is felt for social and financial support to enable him adjust to the civilian way of life.

Though an ESM is a retired personnel he truly does not fall into that bracket because he is still young and fit with sterling qualities of loyalty, discipline and professionalism. Many are not be aware that even an ordinary soldier is an expert in some field or the other. From handling of sophisticated weapon and equipment, he is well versed in the art of warfare. Some have good exposure of fighting in different terrains ranging from high altitude to jungle, desert, riverine terrain or a built-up area. Hence, such exposures make him a quick learner with a high degree of adaptability. Unfortunately, this experience no matter how rich it may be is not of much use after he “hangs his boot”. And here lies the problem as to what should an ESM do for smooth transition to the civilian way of life and ensure a gainful employment, because he still has numerous domestic responsibilities to shoulder. While many initiatives have been taken by Central/State govt. and the Armed Forces themselves, it falls woefully short of the expectation.

Recently, Bihar Government launched a drive to recruit 5000 ESM for the special Police Force to fight terrorism in the state. This will benefit lot of ESM. Maybe a few other States like Jharkahand, Chhatisgarh may also follow suit, and should that happen it is bound to provide succor to a considerable number of ESM. Likewise, if such job opportunities are created by Government and private sectors, it can benefit both ESM and the organizations in a big way. However, such initiatives notwithstanding, harsh fact still remains that irrespective of how many job opportunities are created, every ESM cannot be provided with a Government or private sector job.

Hence, the moot question of how to provide gainful employment to every ESM remains unanswered.

Perhaps, the answer to this problem lies in encouraging entrepreneurship.