New Delhi: The Defence Ministry is planning to give the green signal to a proposal to recruit soldiers for three-year short service or ‘Tour of Duty’, initially floated by the Army in 2020. The selected candidates will get a chance to serve the nation as officers and/or other ranks. Initially, the number of vacancies would be around 100 which could be expanded later. It will not be military conscription like in some countries like Israel.
According to a News18 report, the present draft of the scheme states that all soldiers in the Indian Army would eventually be recruited under the model. Around 25% of them would serve in the Army for three years and 25% troops would serve for five years. As the draft stands now, the remaining 50% would continue to serve in the Army for the full term till they reach their retirement age, the report quoting sources adds.
It has also been proposed that 50% of soldiers who would be released at the end of three and five years be included in the National Pension Scheme and be given certain medical benefits, applicable to Armed Forces veterans, for a fixed period.
A Tour of Duty officer will be earning somewhere around Rs 80,000 to 90,000 per month.
It will be a voluntary engagement and there will be no dilution in selection criteria. The Army has also branded this as an opportunity for India’s youth to experience military life without having to join the armed forces on a long-term basis.
This will also be an opportunity for those who do not want to join the Army as a profession but wish to experience military life for a temporary duration.
The Tour of Duty recruitment model has been conceptualised to address the shortages of personnel, including officers.
The recruitment model has also been proposed as a means to generate increased employment opportunities within the country with the ultimate ambition being to ensure that nearly 40 per cent of the Indian Army’s personnel are recruited through this medium.
Currently, the only option available to civilians to enlist in the Army apart from the regular permanent commission route is the Short Service Commission.
In this path, officers are recruited for a period of 14 years, after which, subject to eligibility, an officer has the option of switching to permanent commission.
The Army currently has roughly 43,000 officers — 80 per cent of whom are in the permanent commission class — and an additional 11.8 lakh forming other ranks.
