Government mulls new recruitment policy for defense services: Report
India's defense forces will see a significant change in the coming days as a new recruitment policy is being given a final shape by the government, The Indian Express reported. Under the new policy, soldiers recruited under the Tour of Duty (ToD) scheme will be relieved after four years and only 25% of them will be recalled after a month for a full term.
- Although the new policy is not yet clear, it is expected that its official announcement will pave the way for massive recruitment in the defense forces, which has been blocked for nearly two years.
- Some states, particularly Haryana and Punjab, also saw demonstrations over the recruitment delay.
The new plan specifies that after four years of initial duty, all soldiers hired under the ToD scheme will be released, as per The Indian Express report. It stated that after the four-year contractual period is completed, only 25% of the soldiers may be recruited full-time with a new joining date. However, they won't receive the benefit of their four years of experience.
It was initially proposed that some soldiers recruited under the scheme would be released after three years and some after five years, while around 25% of the soldiers would be retained for full-time service, said the report quoting sources.
Officials told The Indian Express that soldiers can be kept for more than four years in several technical vocations of the Army, Air Force, and Navy. These trades are also open to Army Medical Corps personnel. It has also been advocated that individuals for technical employment be recruited from Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to reduce the time required for their training.
The candidates chosen for ToD will go through a six-month training program before serving in the services for three and a half years, as per sources quoted by The Hindu. They said ToD recruits will be paid and provided with the same benefits as permanent soldiers. After four years of service, they may be granted a comprehensive amount of around Rs. 10-12 lakh.
As per an official estimate, nearly 60,000 soldiers retire as Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and rank posts every year, aged between 35 and 37 years. After that, they get a pension for a long time which puts an extra burden on the exchequer. However, if the new policy is implemented, it will help the government save money.
Currently, the average age of troops in the Indian Army is approximately 35-36 years, and after the adoption of ToD, the average age of soldiers will be 25-26 years in four to five years, giving the Army a more youthful appearance.
