A few days ago, I responded to a tweet
wherein a Subedar Major was driving a cab to earn his living. I found the
situation odd because of reasons I would articulate in due course, within this
write-up.
There were mixed reactions to my
response on twitter. Some agreed with me, while some, including a few of my
very good friends, stated that we should respect dignity of labour and
that there was nothing wrong in driving a cab to earn one’s living.
I fully stand behind the concept of
dignity of labour. I also firmly believe in an egalitarian society. I further
believe in living a life shorn of redundant ceremonial regalia and working with
my own hands. But that is not the point that I wish to make.
My plain and simple argument is that as
a society and a nation we have failed to harness the skills of our military
veterans, in this case, a Subedar Major of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian
Army who would have served in uniform for at least three decades and who
retired from a Group B (Formerly known as Class II) level gazetted appointment.
Would a Subedar Major be driving a cab if offered a commensurate
post-retirement placement by us as national policy? the answer would probably
be in the negative. Would an equivalent gazetted police or civil officer be
found driving a cab like him? The answer to that too would probably be in the
negative.
Egalitarianism and dignity of labour is
one thing, however making use of skills and providing a dignified
post-retirement re-settlement to soldiers is a different issue altogether. Our
soldiers start retiring in their 30s, while some of us may be happy to see them
stand guard at the neighbourhood ATMs that simply is not what they are worth.
All organisations have a certain hierarchy based upon skills and experience,
and that hierarchy cannot be merely brushed aside or stretched to absurd levels
in the name of ‘dignity of labour’, since if that be so, then there would be no
harm in a retired Colonel or a retired DIG of Police taking up the appointment
of a security guard after retirement! If that be so, then there should be and
would be no reason for holding on to any hierarchy in any organisation or
establishment.
Though much effort is going into it
today, the state of resettlement of our soldiers is not worth praise. To take
an example, the Railways, with much fanfare keep initiating special drives for
recruitment of ex-servicemen. But what are the appointments? -the jobs of
cleaners and helpers and khalasis at Group D level (junior even to a newly
recruited Sepoy) being offered to all ranks, including to Junior Commissioned
Officers of the rank of Naib Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major. Appointing a
former senior functionary of the Army as a cleaner or even a driver is not
dignity of labour, it is an affront to the dignity and experience of the
military rank, it is indignity of skill sets, it is exploitation of human
resources. A fauji lives and dies for his izzat but there is no
protection of his military status on re-employment on the civil side. This
old news-report would also show how such appointments were accepted with
heavy hearts by ex-servicemen and not willingly. Our society also is blissfully
unaware that if soldiers are unable to find a suitable vocation after their
early release from the defence services at the peak of their lives, they at
times develop complexes and even psychiatric ailments, which, of course is an
area not even documented or researched upon this side of the world.
Of about 60,000 personnel who retire
every year, the Directorate General of Resettlement (DGR) is able to adjust
only about 4000. Even after the DGR had written to all Defence Public Sector
Undertakings on directions of the Defence Minister, just 8 PSUs even cared to
reply with only about 9.5% vacancies utilized. If such is the response of the
official establishment even to the right intentioned moves of the political
executive, one can well imagine the overall state of affairs.
Familial and societal responsibilities are at peak levels when soldiers retire in their 30s and 40s. Their income drops down exactly to half when they are released, unlike their civilian counterparts who continue in guaranteed employment till the age of 60. To thrust upon any kind of job onto such veterans in the name of ‘dignity of labour’ not commensurate to their skills or experience, would thus be a disservice, to say the least, in my humble opinion.
Familial and societal responsibilities are at peak levels when soldiers retire in their 30s and 40s. Their income drops down exactly to half when they are released, unlike their civilian counterparts who continue in guaranteed employment till the age of 60. To thrust upon any kind of job onto such veterans in the name of ‘dignity of labour’ not commensurate to their skills or experience, would thus be a disservice, to say the least, in my humble opinion.
