Compatriots turned "Ombudsmen" on social media

Those of you who supported my last blog." Deceived by ATM or bank," by sharing and tweeting, would be happy to note that Kotak Mahindra has decided to reimburse me. This is certainly a victory for social media. My generation of people are yet to come to terms with its power. Let me explain.

After a month of rejecting my claims despite evidence in my favour, SBI was throwing the book at me,an old outdated philosophy that talked about "Competent authority" rejecting my claim. They were telling me about escalating ladders of grievance redressal,as though a month of repeated complaints were not enough to self escalate the matter at the appropriate level.

When my blog on the issue started to gather momentum, Kotak was quick to use their in-house monitoring system to directly contact me, while SBI was warning users of social media to keep off their visible link on the social media- which I guess is outsourced to some agency.

Had I continued to escalate the process with SBI , I would perhaps be going to the Ombudsman about now. With social media playing a supportive role in terms of appropriate  intervention and spreading knowledge to users on the rights of a customer,this wholly new approach worked as a force multiplier. I see this trend getting stronger with each passing day, even as digital connectivity and appropriate usage of this space continues to proliferate.

What does this mean to the banking sector whether public or private? It simply means that they need to rewrite their processes to keep pace with information explosion." The customer is always right." It is up to the Bank to profile their customers and act expeditiously.

Is it not sad that thousands of crores are bracketed in the NPA category, when a few thousands rupees from the savings bank account is denied to a genuine customer?

My gratitude  to all of you,many who did not even know me, for caring to do what you  did; simply backed one who used his blog site to communicate with these amazing compatriots on face book

Thank you my new found 'ombudsman'

Deceived by ATM or Bank?

I write this blog to share my experience on what may not be known to many users of ATM during transactions in India.

Technology has enabled us to find means to satisfy the exploding requirements of a Billion plus customers whose aspirations are mind boggling. Cell phones and connectivity have enabled  the lesser endowed sections of our people. Rail reservations is one such segment which has made what was impossible into a drawing room experience. Ask those of us who had stood in queues form mid night just to get a ticket to travel a few months hence..

When ATM s arrived on the scene, it was a quantum jump and a relief  not to visit the nearest bank with a paper cheque.  Those who doubted the capability of an average Indian to use the machine must now be  eating  their hats. Understandably the machine evolved over a period of time and became increasingly sophisticated. It now places fake currencies in a bin and is expected to bin excess cash due to erroneous transactions.

Here are two specific examples of what may happen to you. The first concerns a highly reputed private bank. When my wife tried to withdraw Rs 20000 she ended up receiving a very small amount. The entire sum was however, debited by her bank as indicated by a message by SMS. In this case the machine was the property of the same bank. There is a process to be followed by the customer which ought to be displayed at every ATM location. But you guessed it -no such notice or a check list exists. The parent branch is expected to deal with this complaint which depending on the time and day may mean waiting for the next working day just to register your complaint. In this case after numerous attempts to follow up, the intervention at a very high level ensured that my wife was reimbursed.  That was just fortunate.

The second case occurred when I attempted to draw Rs 10000 from the ATM of another well known private  bank using the debit card of the largest public centre bank. I received only Rs 2000. I immediately sought the assistance of the security guard who produce a register for me to make the entry or a statement. I also called up the toll free number of the private bank requesting them to register my complaint. The security guard assured me that this is not an isolated incident,  that there were three cameras recording the event and that I should merely take it up with my public sector bank.

Here is what followed. I wrote an official complaint with all the experience of my service life so that no detail was omitted. I was assured by the Chief Manager that the rest would follow when the complaint was taken up with the Private sector bank. Promptly I was assigned a complaint number on SMS. Days later, I received a SMS telling me that "the competent authority has rejected my complaint and that I should contact my branch for details".

I had heard enough of competent authority in my service days but how can a customer be told of a competent authority.? This goes against the grain of a banking system which is meant to service a customer. Despite all the progress made in banking and internet banking in particular of which I am very proud, this sentence told me that our banks are not ready to serve its customer.The government red tape was in full view.

I therefore challenged the competent authority with some facts. If they accept that the entire sum was indeed delivered to me how come an amount of Rs 1500 has been credited to me by the bank. Hence one of the banks was less than truthful in their stand. I was asked to submit another complaint to which I pointed out that my first complaint was complete in all respect and hence despite the threatening tone of the competent authority I stood by my complaint. A few hours later, I received another SMS with a fresh complaint number. Needless to say within a few hours I received yet another rejection by the competent authority.

Another visit to the bank. This time the Chief Manager asked me whether I could visit the private bank responsible for the ATM machine and get his views. Although it sounded incorrect, I agreed so that the matter could be pursued with vigour.

Now the turn of the "efficient "'private sector bank. I barged into the office of the Manager who was located in a small cubicle. He was much younger than the Chief Manager, quite commensurate with the size of his little branch. He was polite and positive as expected from a private bank but soon began to vacillate. He called in his colleague who promptly told him what I already knew. That I should not have been directed to approach this bank as I was not their customer and that it should be dealt with between the relevant sections of the two banks. After this very enlightening intercourse,the young manager told me that as a favour he would make enquiries from his headquarters on whether the outsourced company which handles the ATM has reported excess cash in the ATM. He took my contact numbers and promised to give me a call in a day. Yes, you guessed it, no calls even after a week.

Before departing the private sector bank, I sought his permission to give him some unsolicited advice. He showed remarkable receptive abilities but was not quite prepared for what I was about to say. I told him that I used the ATM only because it carries the name of his famous bank and is located in his premises.Now that he had admitted that he has no control over what happens with the machine as its operation is outsourced, he should seriously consider removing the name of his bank so prominently displayed on the machine, so that innocent users like me are not conned by the name of the bank. It was as if I had slapped him. I gave him a parting smile while he stammered and he stuttered pathetically.

Back to the champions of my public sector bank. The see saw sms battles rage even after a month. The competent authority has won uptil now. I was advised that the customer is entitled to Rs 100  per day if the dispute is not resolved. These are reserve bank orders. Now you know why the competent authority so swiftly disposes off complaints.

I am now going to the only option for justice-the ombudsman.The two banks involved are SBI and Kotak Mahindra,the latter owns the machine.

What can you do? Let us share more such experiences which have gone unreported so far. Can you imagine the plight of a poor customer who can barely afford to lose his hard earned money, while the elephants clash.

Share this blog with all your friends. Let us unite against this tyranny.

Modernisation of the Indian Navy

From 'Made in India' to 'Make in India'

It is believed that war ships mirror the technological capability of their respective countries. There is no better way to display the power and capabilities of the Indian built warship, ala, INS Kolkotta or INS Shivalik, than to throw open the ship to visitors as we do when we visit foreign  ports. This was a routine practice when our ships visited ports in India until the scourge of terrorism descended on us. Thousands of citizens would line up to walk around our warships. Special visits were arranged for school children and experts as also the media. Paradoxically just when we have attained standards of ship building which can be the envy of any developing or developed nation, access to these ships have been severely restricted.

How did the Indian Navy(IN)  manage to keep pace with state of the art technology, that too by using the indigenous ship building route and what does it portend for the 'Make in India' mantra being vigorously pursued by the new Govt? To analyse this issue objectively we need to trace the efforts of the past in order to provide a broad perspective for the future. Since the navy operates in all three dimensions, i.e. surface, subsurface and air it would be instructive to trace the path adopted for modernisation of ships, submarines and aircraft.

War-ship Building

The planning process to define the force levels of our navy began in right earnest soon after independence. The very meagre allocation for defence budget resulted in the smallest share being allotted for the acquisition and modernisation of the smallest defence service of the nation. Consequently not only did the navy have to contend with the initial British reluctance to supply modern blue water platforms to the Indian navy, but it had to also function with the lowest share of the defence budget. The navy was allotted 4% of the defence budget in 1950/51. This rose to 9% briefly and reverted to 4% in 1964/65.The Chinese imbroglio resulted in priority to the Army and the Air force. 

Given the lack of shipbuilding facility in India, the first acquisition of ships after independence consisted of eight Frigates and a second hand carrier from UK. The entire programme under soft loans was executed between 1958 and 1961. Serious efforts to acquire submarines were thwarted by the British after the first Indian crew, in 1962, was trained for induction of the much needed submarine. The Soviet Union seized the opportunity and thereafter also became the sole supplier of corvettes, frigates, destroyers, mine sweepers and missile vessels.

The meagre allocation of resources did not deter the IN from pursuing indigenous capability to build frigates in India. In 1965, the British clinched this deal with yet another special defence credit of 4.7 Million pounds which included expansion of the Mazagaon docks in Mumbai.  While the Soviet Union flooded the naval acquisition programme with a wide ranging array of ships at competitive political costs, the construction of the Leander class continued at Mazagaon Docks and the first indigenously made frigate INS Nilgiri was commissioned in 1972. This was followed by three more, before an Indian design burst on the scene.

Two path breaking decisions taken prior and during this critical juncture  need special mention. The first pertains to the creation of an in-house ship design facility by the Indian Navy, manned principally by naval officers, which has grown in stature and skill over the last five decades. Successful construction of the first Indian designed aircraft carrier at Kochi and the latest destroyer INS Kolkotta are the fruits of this labour.

 

The second was the creation of a Weapons and Electronics System Engineering Establishment(WESEE) which continues to play a stellar role in sensor-weapon systems integration and data fusion of diverse sensors and weapons procured from multiple sources in the world. Data fusion through tactical data link for multiple platforms developed by them, has also contributed to the success of maritime operations.

The continued emphasis on indigenous construction has now resulted in Mazagaon Docks, Garden Reach at Kolkotta, Goa Shipyard, Kochi Shipyard and the former non-defence PSU, Hindustan Shipyard at Vizag, participating in building a wide range of ships for the navy. Aircraft carrier, destroyers, frigates, submarines, corvettes, missile vessels, landing craft, fast patrol boats, offshore patrol vessels, survey vessels and a tanker have been/ are being built in Indian yards. Of late, private sector yards, ABG, Bharati and L&T have begun to participate in warship construction.

Import options have also been exercised due to capacity limitation of our yards and the need to make up shortfalls in force levels.

Submarine Building

Protracted negotiations for over a decade in 1980's saw Mazagaon Dock Ltd clinching an order to build, under license, two of the four state of the art Hunter killer submarines designed by HDW of Germany. This event is very significant in that for the first time the yard had to be modernised to cater to contemporary building standards, as also for upgrading the skill of the labour force. The yard did successfully build two modern submarines when the MOD abruptly terminated the contract with HDW due to allegations of corruption against high ranking Indian personnel. We thus successfully managed to 'cut our nose to spite our face'. We let the entire infrastructure set up at great cost to rot and the skilled manpower to migrate.

After a gap of many decades we have once again revived submarine construction, this time with the assistance of the French. Currently the programme is running four years behind schedule. The 30 year perspective plan submitted to the Govt in 1999 has progressed at snail's pace and the navy has had to put up with considerable reduction in submarine force levels.

The strategic submarine programme continues to make progress and is beyond the scope of this essay.

Naval Aviation

Due to limited availability of indigenous options, all aircraft currently in service, except the HAL produced Chetak helicopters, ALH and Dornier, are imported from UK, USA and Russia. The navy has however made investments in LCA and ALH to augment ship/carrier borne operations. Critical shortages in ship borne medium range anti-surface and anti-submarine helicopters of the 10 ton variety are yet to be made up, due to procedures and processes of acquisition by MOD. The more we delay the more we pay both in financial and operational costs.

‘Made in India’ versus ‘Make in India’

Timely replacement of aging assets is an integral part of the 15 year plan submitted by the navy. Inability to fund or follow up such programmes has resulted in critical shortfalls in force level and an aging fleet. While cumulative delays lead to exercising import options to bridge critical shortages, if attempts to 'Make in India' are stalled, we will never be self sufficient and by implication we will never enter the exclusive club of powerful nations of the world. Hence, it is necessary to differentiate between 'Made' and 'Make' in India. To make in India, some basic criteria need to be satisfied.

Ship building has not been a priority activity in the industrial policy of India. Due to security and commercial interests, initially Europe, then Japan, South Korea and now China have provided incentives and subsidies to attain global standards and to be competitive in manufacture and sale. Since warship building was limited in numbers, India was deprived of developing and sustaining a large number of major and ancillary industries which support ship building. From steel to propulsion package volumes and economy of scale will dictate the interest generated in the private sector. Hence cost of basic ship building has a direct bearing on the cost of warships. In addition, the following criteria play a vital role to support the Make-in-India mantra:-

·       Skilled man power.

·       Contemporary Infrastructure

·       Design capability

·       Domestic industrial capability for ship borne equipment 

Remove any one of the above and ‘Make in India' becomes 'Made in India.'  It takes 8 -10 years to develop quality workmen, and 15 -20 yrs to develop quality shipbuilding engineers and ship designers. Some yards are restricted by the depth of water available at their location. Infrastructure up gradation of DPSUs, so critical to timely delivery of platforms, has only been recently addressed along with budgetary support but delayed time frame for completion. Until recently our shipyards had neither sufficient dock side crane facilities nor  ability  to undertake modular construction, which is the norm followed in modern yards. The modernisation programmes launched in all our yards have just begun to take shape and in some cases is likely to be completed in phases, perhaps spread over forth coming plan periods.

Apart from poor infrastructure, delays in timely delivery of warships have been caused by dependence on foreign suppliers for propulsion package, sensors and weapons. While the in-house design capability has matured over the years, non-freezing of specifications and staff requirements have also contributed to cost escalation.

Inordinate delays in DRDO projects have forced us to opt for imports of guns, missiles and certain sensors. Surface to surface and surface to air missiles have had to be imported from Russia and Israel. More recently, the DRDO adopted the joint venture route to launch projects such as Brahmos with Russia - the only supersonic SSM in the world - and the long range surface to air missiles from Israel.

Would it solve the problems of transfer of technology and lesser if not least dependence on the foreign partner? The answer is a resounding 'NO'. An audit by specialists would reveal that such products while carrying a 'Made in India’ tag, do not reduce reliance on the JV partner. This cannot therefore be classified as a 'Make in India' product.

In comparison, the sonar project launched jointly by the Navy and DRDO in 1970's and the EW programme launched in 1990's have been totally Indian projects which meet all the criteria for 'Make in India'. Some may claim that radars manufactured in BEL which started with the Leander programme in the 1970's to be a successful one. However, TOT in the real sense was never achieved and production in India can be hampered by the OEM at will. Similar is the story of indigenous manufacture of the Otomelara 76mm gun and the close in rapid firing AK 630 both of which are dependent on their OEM.

It has taken decades to realise that no worthwhile technology would be transferred to a third party and those that are, due to obsolescence in the supplier production chain, would elicit a grand sum of money for TOT- which in most cases make it unaffordable. 

Should we therefore assume that all such equipment licensed for production in India are just 'Made in India' and are susceptible to denial at will? The answer is a resounding 'Yes'. Yet, Joint Venture production as was done between private partners of USA(GE) and France(SNECMA) for commercial aircraft engines (Boeing and Airbus), is a necessary step to increase volume of production by sourcing customers globally or regionally. Commercially driven ventures find means to be more productive than Government run ventures.

So, if the propulsion package, sensors and weapons are to be sourced from abroad to meet the immediate requirement of the 42 ships and submarines on order, how and when do we realise the 'Make in India' campaign?

First, we would need to professionalise the decision making structure in the MOD. Transient generalists who man critical billets of decision making need to be replaced by professionals and experts. This would involve all departments in MOD, more so in Defence Production. Integration of MOD with Service Headquarters is a recommendation made by the GOM in 2001. Besides cosmetic changes on letter heads, no tangible action has been taken to date.

Second, it would be revealing to examine the 'bible' for conduct of business in MOD, titled 'Allocation of Business Rules' and 'Transaction of Business Rules' duly approved by the President of India in 1961. According to these rules, the Defence Secretary is responsible for the defence of India. The Service Chiefs have been assigned no role. Who then is responsible for delays of decades in acquisition and procurement of critical weapons, sensors and ordnance and even outcome of a war? Hence, Structural reforms and clear devolution of accountability are essential prerequisites for good governance. 

Third, now that we have reasonably advanced manufacturing facilities in the private sector, it is time to select the most competent of them to research and submit proposals for ship borne weapons/sensors and propulsion packages (diesel, gas turbine or fuel cell technology) to match the ship production schedule of the navy. Selective funding/credit for R&D from the Government would be an alluring if not an enduring incentive.

Fourth, while focusing on modernisation of existing DPSU yards to achieve timely production to ensure little or no cost escalation, encourage the private sector to develop their skilled man power and design teams. Utilising modern facilities in the private yards, including ship lift, modular construction, docks and heavy duty cranes could be integrated in our plans to compress production time. In brief, combine the man power expertise of the public sector with management practices of the private sector through a public-private partnership

Fifth, encourage yards both public and private to create design facility for export of ships and to maximise their earnings.

Sixth, remove all firewalls created to suppress creativity and entrepreneurship among competing entities. Promote single vendor culture where economies of scale and volumes of production are inevitable factors for compressing production schedules. Many of the strategic projects in USA work on this model with inbuilt checks and balances.

Seventh, promote uninhibited interaction between selected vendors and the user to facilitate seamless transfer of ideas from concept to reality.

Eighth, in order to minimise wastage of skilled personnel and maximise the drive to make in India, permit employment of high quality naval personnel in public and private sectors. Officers and men often wish to retire early due to lack of vertical growth opportunity and other reasons of stability. It may be noted that post WW2, a large number of Military personnel in USA and Europe were absorbed in public and private sector manufacturing and industrial/commercial sectors. They in turn rose to lead many of the internationally acclaimed organisations and companies. Presently a similar trend is visible in the telecom and IT sectors of India which has a fair share of veterans in senior rungs of the ladder.

In conclusion, the maritime dimension of 'Make in India' needs organisational and infrastructural paradigm changes, which are well within the capabilities of the political leadership.

Change we must. 'Foot prints in the sands of time are not made by sitting on our haunches'

Soldiers paying respects to soldiers?

(Courtesy South Asia Monitor-uploaded on 23 Dec14)

Vijay Diwas;India needs a national war memorial

For the past 43 years the Armed Forces of India have been celebrating or commemorating the victory over Pakistan in 1971. Laying wreaths at scores of war memorials set up by numerous Military establishments around India, is a solemn and mandatory part of the celebration.

War memorials are meant to remind our citizens of the sacrifices made by their soldiers. That, successive Governments overlooked the need for a National War Memorial at Delhi is well known to most of us. The present Government has made a commitment which appears to be grand and hopefully we will see it materialise within their tenure of five years. Nevertheless, damage has been done to the memory of warriors who have lost their lives in several operations since Independence, both in peace and war. 

Existing Memorials have been erected and maintained by the soldiers themselves with the exception of those erected at Pune and Bengaluru. The former was funded by sustained campaigns conducted by soldiers, citizens/activists along with efforts made by the Indian Express group. The latter is a laudable effort of Sri Rajiv Chandrashekhar MP, who has been championing the cause of the Soldier for many years. The Pune memorial has even received the title of National War Memorial! Such a title is flawed on many counts.

A National Memorial has to be created by society through Governments, preferably in the Capital city and not merely by soldiers fighting for it in any city. In the extant case, it is located like all other war memorials, on Military property which is inaccessible to tourists and visitors for most part of the year, save on occasions such as Vijay Diwas. All the arrangements and invitations are issued by Military authorities and the function is populated by the serving and retired soldiers and not the citizen who wishes to pay his respects. Even ministers or senior civil authorities avoid these functions as they are construed as pure Military ceremonials or perhaps they do not care for the sacrifices of the soldier due to compulsions of vote bank politics.

Unless the caring citizen who wishes to pay his respects to the departed soldier has access to the memorial, such as Rajghat at Delhi, war memorials will continue to remain out of reach of the citizen. Every visiting foreign head of state starts his visit by paying respects to the Father of the Nation; he will pay respects to the departed soldier too- not the unknown soldier but the soldier whose name is inscribed in letters of gold on the walls surrounding the memorial.

Most countries who have fought long wars have realised the need to glorify the profile of the departed soldier so that it remains etched in the conscience of the citizen and consequently the society as a whole. By failing to do so on many pretexts including the one that "Amar Jawan at Delhi is good enough", we have unwittingly relegated the importance of the wars fought after independence.

Vijay Diwas is also an occasion to take stock of the insensitivity displayed by the society as a whole to the plight of the war wounded and disabled soldiers and equally of the war widows of independent India. Why is it that the media or activists have remained silent witnesses to the scores of court cases filed by elected Governments challenging the legitimate claims of the soldier. In most cases the highest court of India has ruled in favour of the soldier and yet Governments have delayed the benefits which were long denied. This is a peculiar if not deviant way of showing our appreciation to the soldier.

One reason could be that most, if not all the wars fought since Independence, have not touched the citizens of India barring those who live on the borders. People were willing to part with their gold if the Government was in need of financial support to fight the war. Yet when the Indian Government ordered our soldiers to intervene in Sri lanka and we lost valuable lives to protect their freedom, our Prime Minister, on a visit to Colombo a few years ago, declined to inaugurate a War Memorial dedicated to Indian Soldiers which was built by the Sri Lankans in the prime property adjoining their own War Memorial. The reason was as impious as coalition politics.

 In comparison millions of lives were lost during WW1 and WW2 in UK,Europe,USA ,Soviet Union and Japan. Almost every family had lost a member and the Wars lasted for years. One may conclude perhaps erroneously that only long wars would sensitise our society to respect the needs of a soldier. Arthashastra contains references to the dangers to the society if soldiers are not well cared for both in service and after retirement.

Both the politician and the bureaucrat are products of our society. An 'uneducated' society would be oblivious to  the justifiable needs of a soldier. If that be so, how would we educate and sensitise the society in the first instance, so that the by-product that enters governance-related structures is well equipped to deal with the travails and tribulations of a soldier?

Given that long wars are unlikely between nations and that terrorism-related and ideological/religious skirmishes have the potential to inflict devastating damage and loss of lives, we need to bridge the yawning gap between the soldier and the state or the soldier and the society.

Making Military training a part of the academic profile of every Indian may well be a solution.

Need to bridge chasm between India's Citizen and Military

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Need to bridge chasm between India's citizen and military

Posted:Oct 21, 2014 

    

  

  

By Vice Admiral Suresh Bangara

Can you deny that the military in India today is 'an enigma wrapped in a riddle'? There is just no connectivity with even the better informed citizens of India.

Most would not know even the rank structure or what the military does in peace time.  Each passing year will make it worse unless we initiate some corrective measures. Why is there such a large chasm between the citizen and the military?

At the time of Independence due to the preceding great wars which lasted for half a decade each, there was enough understanding of the duties, trials and tribulations of a soldier. Indeed the British used a large number of Indians to fight their wars. Consequently, most Indian families belonging to both undivided India and post Partition were in awe of the soldier.

This was further bolstered when fiercely patriotic Indian soldiers and sailors made a very difficult decision to fight the British in pursuit of freedom for India. These are well documented. In 1946 sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutinied and set the stage for the subsequent freedom struggle. The fact that any Indian soldier worth his salt was a quintessential patriot, expedited the withdrawal of the British occupation forces.

While India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and V.K. Krishna Menon, his trusted defence minister, were known for their belief that the days of war were over and that fighting for peace and tranquility at the UN was the flavour of the day, the consequent downscaling and neglect of the armed forces had to be hastily redressed after and during offensive actions in 1947, 1962 and 1965.

The trauma of 1962 and the subsequent efforts to rejuvenate the military served a very important purpose of keeping the soldier engraved in the hearts and minds of the Indian citizen. However, long periods of no war -no peace coupled with unusually long deployment of the army on counter insurgency operations have willy-nilly relegated the relative importance of the soldier in our society.

The uncaring attitude of successive governments to deny justifiable demands of the veterans, and repeated attempts to sideline the cause of the veterans have had deleterious effects on the importance of the soldier in our society. A society which fails to care for the serving and retired soldier invariably is guilty of lowering the image of the soldier which is synonymous with lowering the prestige of the country as a whole.

 On matters military, discipline, national integration and leadership, what has gone largely unappreciated is the fact that the National Cadet Corp act of 1948 slowly but surely engaged the entire youth from schools and colleges across the country. We had thus created a precious resource of the largest trained youth power in the world. By the early 1960s, lateral entry into the three services had begun. Many young men and women not only realised the importance of the military but were fiercely patriotic due the curriculum which nurtured their resolve to place the country above all. Currently the strength of NCC stands at 13 lakh cadets. It has the potential to double if not triple the number.

Periodically, the question of instilling discipline among the youth has been under discussion among the intellectuals. Making NCC compulsory for all students is an option that has found favour, but was not implemented due to resource constraints. What might be the broad contours of such constraints? Budgetary consideration is the foremost. Currently the centre and state governments have a clear cut responsibility for sharing financial and manpower related burden.  This in turn has largely limited the growth of NCC.

For instance, there are 100,000 cadets who have volunteered from schools and colleges of Maharashtra. Increase in population has resulted in creation of more educational institutions, both government-run and those of the private sector. There are 800 educational bodies on the waiting list to raise more units of NCC. Given the growth of our economy in recent years and the ability to fund schemes of national importance, it would appear that budgetary limitation may not be as big an obstacle as it was in the earlier decades.

The manpower requirements of the training and administrative staff from the three services is the second constraint. The services are unable to provide additional staff to meet the enhanced load of training. This can be resolved by permitting ex-servicemen to undertake this task through an ordinance or an amended NCC act of the parliament. This will also provide much needed post retirement opportunities to the large number of soldiers and officers who enter the job market every year.

There are two other issues which need scrutiny. The first is to expeditiously introduce e-governance to make accounting and administration as transparent as possible to avoid misuse of scarce resources. The second pertains to the Armed Forces themselves, who have relegated this rich source of potential recruits, to the lower rungs of priority.

In the 1960s when I was a NCC cadet, senior service officers availed every opportunity to visit the nearest NCC units during their tours. It was indeed a source of inspiration for the impressionable minds of the young students. In spirit alone they could match the best serving personnel of the forces.

From the foregoing, it would appear that investing wisely in training the youth while simultaneously exposing them to discipline, leadership and national integration is a desirable option. If we lack one vital trait as Indians today, it is discipline.

So, let us reap the benefits of the much-touted demographic dividend of India. Here is a low hanging fruit ready to be picked. If implemented, this single step would bring the youth - the dominant segment of our population for the foreseeable future - closer to the military as never before and bridge the gap between the citizen and the military.

(Vice Admiral Suresh Bangara is a former FOC-in-C, Southern Naval Command. He can be contacted atsouthasiamonitor1@gmail.com)

  

  

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