Indian Army -an unattractive career for the youth?
This was a HRM case analysis assignment and I got 15/15 marks :-p
Case Analysis
Indian Army -an unattractive career for the youth?
There is no shortage of patriotism in our country but why is it that there’s such a shortage of officers in the armed forces? The Indian army has launched a massive awareness drive to get young people in the armed forces. Despite glossy advertisement campaigns like ‘Be an Army man: Be a winner for life’, the armed forces continue to face a serious shortage of officers.
1. Major and Minor problems in the case
Major Problems:
The Indian Army is grappling with an acute shortage of officers. Despite the recession, it has been unable to attract more talent and contain their outflow. The army’s sanctioned strength is 46,615 officers, but it has been facing a shortage of 11,238.In 2008, the army was able to take in 1,500 officers – but over 1,800 left the force. The army now faces a shortage of 11,238 officers.- India’s army, the world’s fourth largest, is failing to attract enough youngsters with “officer-like qualities” for its 1.13-million strong Army. The authorized strength of Indian Air Force is 12,136, whereas the Indian Navy has an authorized strength of 8,797 officers. Indian Army is facing a massive exodus from its ranks, with more and more officers opting for premature retirement. The problem was aggravated when about 3,000 officers sought premature retirement in the last three years. Most of them moved to the lucrative corporate sector. Inability to retain the trained personnel is a major issue.
Minor Problems:
- Today’s knowledge-based youth seeks not just superior salaries, but the freedom to retain mobility in the career market.
- Poor service conditions and the other compensatory packages too make career in Army an unattractive one.
2. Assumptions Made
- The service conditions, promotion prospects, job satisfaction and post-retirement provisions for Indian military officers have deteriorated in relation to other forms of available and comparable employment.
- Merely raising military pay will address the issue of officer shortages
- Life in the forces enables a person to face any challenges in life boldly.
- Makes a person disciplined, law-abiding citizen.
- Army has severe promotional bottlenecks
- In contrast to the existing system in army, today’s marriage dynamic demands an environment for husband–wife working opportunities.
- Today’s youth seeks a corporate culture which values people
3.Basic causes for the problem
- Frequent transfers
- Isolation from family
- High levels of stress
- Low pay in comparison to the risk involved
- Slow promotions
- Military’s tough lifestyle
- Post-marriage, life in the forces are not comfortable.
- Family accommodation is inadequate.
- Level of corruption too high but it remains difficult to expose.
- Despite the existing harmony, there exist divisions based on religion, language and geographical locations.
- Only very few would opt for life time career in armed forces as frustration crops up due to lack of transparency in promotions.
- One can be successful only with Pleasing the Boss attitude.
- Limited choices only are available to plan children’s education and their career.
- Rough life in forward areas
Alternate Solutions
A strong, professionally led military controlled by capable leaders having impeccable credentials, strength of character and integrity is vital to the national interest.
Now, the army is hoping the financial crisis and the Sixth Pay Commission — which has increased their salaries — will help bring in many more to the armed forces that is facing a shortage of middle-rung officers in particular. Even though the salaries of armed forces have substantially increased after the 6th Pay Commission, the youngsters still find them less compared to the private sector. This consideration is put forth especially if one takes into the account of the life of a soldier which is tough and risky.- Several steps have been undertaken by the three services to fill up the vacant posts. They include seminars, presentations, campus interactions, recruitment drives and sustained publicity efforts.
- In addition, the commitment and bravery of the armed forces is consistently projected through the electronic and print media.
- Aimed at fostering the spirit of adventure and attracting the youth towards the defence forces, Indian Army launched a paragliding, cycling and sailing expedition from Chennai .
- The approval of the Union Government to open a second Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya in Bihar marks a major step to solve the problem of shortage of officers in the country.
Answer to specific questions
Question 1:
Of the four main criteria for selection to the officer cadre –– education, aptitude, medical & physical condition and moral character –for selection to the Indian Amy Officer, which criteria does the Indian Youth lack?
Answer :
The army has four main criteria for selection to the officer cadre –– education, aptitude, medical & physical condition and moral character (read no criminal record). Aptitude and leadership traits are judged through proven psychological tests, where not many make the grade. A good engineer or manager does not necessarily make a good officer. Neither Indian Institutes of Management, engineering and medical colleges, nor multinational apply such filters. Majority of the applicants fails in this level of criteria-aptitude. This issue mainly arises due to lack of proper orientation being provided to youth, at lower classes.
Question 2:
Do you think the lack of marketing and innovative efforts are the real problems in attracting the Indian Youth to Army?
Answer :
Marketing is an irrelevant metaphor to explain the military’s challenge in attracting talent, since even market-based organizations do no better. A McKinsey & Co led report, ‘War for Talent’ published in 2007, confirms the best MNCs are facing challenges in attracting and retaining top-quality talent, despite savvy marketing strategies. The fact that the Indian Army has a shortage of over 11,000 officers, which is a little under a quarter of its sanctioned strength, is a stark and irrefutable indicator that the Indian state is unable to attract the kind of talent required to ensure the HR profile that the Army needs. There is a marketing problem by way of being (un)able to convincingly persuade the qualified Indian youth to don uniform, at a time when there are many more attractive job opportunities (which is a familiar socio-economic and HR pattern with economies in transition) but the responsibility is less with the Army and more with the government of India. Marketing alone won’t solve the problem. But as any marketing professional will concede, a product can be packaged and advertised through skilful and innovative marketing only up to a point. If the product is inherently inadequate, mere marketing acumen will not suffice.
Question 3:
Do you think the service conditions and the other compensatory packages for army officers are relatively not comparable to officers in MNCs and Private sectors.?
Answer :
Even though the salaries of armed forces have substantially increased after the 6th Pay Commission, the youngsters still find them less compared to the private sector. This consideration is put forth especially is one takes into the account of the life of a soldier which is tough and risky. Steady economic growth over the last two decades and the emergence of globally competitive IT, financial and manufacturing industries has increased the opportunity costs of joining the Armed Forces. Furthermore, productivity growth in these sectors is increasing wages: A young Indian will have to give up even more to join the Armed Forces, which offer relatively lower take-home salaries. It is tempting to believe that merely raising military pay will address the issue of officer “shortages”. To do so would be to ignore the fundamental changes to the relative abundance of capital and labor in India’s growing economy.
Coming to insurance, no insurance company in the country insures a soldier for war risk. Hence when a soldier dies on duty, insurance companies do not pay at all. The Army has Army Insurance Group Fund (AIGF) where premiums are very high as the group risk is very high. The officer pays a good part of his salary for covering this risk at high premium.
The Indian army, portrays the issues of recruitment and retention as a recent problem unique to this country, while it is a worldwide phenomenon. The shortage of officers in the Indian army has been there for over three decades. To blame it on the poor compensation in relation to the corporate world is only obfuscating the real issues– internal problems besetting the Army that make it unattractive. There are larger social factors at play with the opening of the economy. The private sector, with its humongous compensation packages, is facing a similar talent crunch as well. The government needs to look at social remedies — of education and training — to redress these anomalies. It cannot be achieved by throwing a few more crumbs at the soldiers.
Question 4 :
Suggest some innovative strategies to improve talent scouting for army
officer positions
Answer :
Today, there is no freedom of mobility in the job market for an army officer. The exit policies are archaic and the officers are akin more to a bonded labour, than a government functionary. The bogey of national security has allowed the military to get away with blatantly illegal and unethical exit policies for its soldiers for a long time. The long-term damage of an exit- barrier ending up as an entry-barrier has not even been considered by the military.- The armed forces need to view their splendidly trained officers as national assets rather than bonded labour. It needs to be understood that once a young man weighing various job options knows that he is free to leave the army whenever he wants to, he might well be attracted to getting trained and groomed as a leader in a military institution, if only in the realistic hope that it might enable him to get a better job in the market than he would get after doing simple graduation/post graduation from a university elsewhere. If he chooses to leave after training, the Army should be happy that it has created a quality national asset who will prove his worth somewhere else. That limited, insulated mentality has to be shed to internalize and accept this thought. Though some might leave immediately after training, many will choose to serve as officers for varying lengths of time
- Presently, cadets passing out from the NDA get a graduation degree. They have to undergo further training in the training institutes of respective services before they become officers, but their academic qualification remains graduation. This additional training period plus an additional year or so of distance education after commissioning should enable all officers to get a post graduate degree in some disciplines. This will not only help increase their self esteem but also equip them to get better jobs and even pursue further studies should they choose to at any time.
- The SSC acts as the support cadre to the regular cadre, which is twice its strength. A new proposal seeks to reverse the proportion. According to an internal report the shortfall of 11,000 army officers would be bridged in 20 years. The proposal is to take two short service officers for every permanently commissioned officer. This will help make up the shortfall in due course without affecting the promotion aspects caused by the pyramidal structure of the army. The army has sought to make SSC more lucrative by increasing the number of serving years from five to 10. Another proposal is to give them a two-year study leave at the end of their service to help them find a better second career option.
- Another probable reason for the Armed Forces not getting the right type of youth for their officer cadre is that youth from rural background and less developed states like UP and Bihar are not able to qualify in the selection process it being very scientific and tough. Instead of waiting for end product in these areas, the Armed Forces may identify the potential candidates when the students are in Eighth standard through the medium of National Cadet Corps and then groom them to come up to the right standards. These young minds should be taken to various remote areas where Army is deployed on adventure trips and made to see for themselves how the love for the country and adventure makes the adrenaline flow faster in the blood stream. Here, NCC can play a stellar role.
- Remove stagnation at the middle level and thus improve promotion opportunities of the officers, close to that of civil and police services; After entering the army, an entry level officer must wait up to 10 years before donning the flashes of a lieutenant-colonel. Improve opportunities for officers and men to be able to spend more time with their families; re-establish social status and warrant of precedence of the armed force officers at the centre and state levels; compensate adequately the increased level of personal risk and hardships in the field areas; bridge salary and compensation gap between the private sector and government services, to the extent possible.
- The Armed Forces will have to emulate the big IT companies and set up their own training academies—take the relatively rougher diamonds and polish them in-house. In other words, instead of trying to look for people with “officer-like qualities”, the Armed Forces will need to create them.
Conclusion
The contours of the problem and the need for a holistic redressal have to be acknowledged in the first instance. This is imperative and must merit the attention of the Defense Minister and his cabinet colleagues. Pro-active, creative thinking is somehow not encouraged/ possible in the rigid, hierarchical and bureaucratic structures that are found in most departments of the government, including the military. Other nations when faced with a similar predicament had appointed a dedicated Armed Forces Commission drawn from the most eminent persons outside the government to make appropriate recommendations. That time has come. There are many eminent persons in Indian civil society whose talent and expertise can be tapped for this purpose. The task ahead is to recognize the nature of the problem and improve the product sincerely–not just address the ‘marketing’ alone.
More on Indian Army : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Army
http://indianarmy.nic.in/Index.aspx?flag=LfcULYFlbeQ=
Images are NOT mine.
Nimmy's Experiment with Blogging 
I dont know how it changed… for us it was nda that we all wanted to go but our not so bright studies restricted us… even SSC was difficult to get… I cannot believe things changed so much !!!
very good article and a lot relevant.. almost a reality of today;s army
Recently some of the kids I knew who had shown no interest in joining the services have joined/ attempted to join NDA, so I had a feeling it’s being seen as a good career option again.
but the freedom to retain mobility in the career market. >> great point there !
Congrats on ur score Nimmy 🙂
Looks interesting .. will be bk to read @ leisure 🙂
YOur first line, there is no shortage of patriotism……i dont seem to agree….patriotism to me is not to cheer for India when it plays against pakistan…
I feel we are very poor in patriotism..when i was kid, at the end of the movie, national anthem was played in movie halls…how many of us stayed..before it ends, everybody is out of theatre..
how many of us do things inour day to day life, putting countrys interest above self interest…
not many….
out to topic
i live in middle east..in a local web forum here, in one of the topic – a person has commented, saying he has not met a single muslim from india who says i am happy ..meaning muslims are oppressed in India..
As a Muslim from India – what is your take on it?
link given below…
http://www.omanforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29199
For me Patriotism is not just respecting ur National flag or National Anthem. If so our Political leaders would be the most patriotic of all as they do it daily.Patriotism in every day life means making our Country stronger and more democratic by fighting all injustices and inequalities in our society. The question of being happy or unhappy may not depend on religion per se but on many other factors.
Charakan – what you said is correct.
To be patriotic, first step is to respect national flag etc. As i said, when you put our country above self interest, dont you think our country will become stronger.
The armed forces need to view their splendidly trained officers as national assets rather than bonded labour .. I luved this point u made!
Kudos to those who make us feel safe day and night by keeping vigilant! Its so difficult when u hv to live thru all those Basic causes! They def. put the nation above everything else in life, rather life itself!
Good post and congrats for getting full marks.
Congrats on the full marks sister.. This is a wonderful…
Army is no longer a career attractive option as it is a risky one and lowly paid and also corrupted… 😦
We Indians are only good at saluting our armed forces and providing “free of cost” moral support. But when it comes to joining it…..we are nowhere to be found.
A well researched analysis which deservedly got full marks.The Army has a vast pool of talent that gets wasted out for lack of adequate opportunities for promotions. While the more adventurous amongst these try and venture out into the corporate world or entrepreneurship, a large number continue to serve without any promotional avenues for economic or other compulsions. A part of this pool can be utilized in nation building by providing them an opportunity for lateral movement into other government departments which do not have promotional bottlenecks akin to the army. This would not only give better opportunities to these officers reducing a major factor of unattractiveness of army as a career, it would also bring some discipline and values into functioning of other departments. Recent request for assistance from Army officers to organize the Commonwealth games is ample evidence of the fact that when it comes to crucial time critical tasks, Army officers are considered the best to deliver.
Another solution of shortage of officers in the Army involves making Army as the channel for entry into all class 1 government jobs – a Single Point Entry System as talked about here
I don’t think so…
Still there is heavy rush at army recruitment rallies(just imagine 500’s of candidates waiting in the scorching heat for there turn(physical test)…I myself have seen this lot of times in kollam ashraamam mythanam).And also many people are preferring NDA ,CDS and navy now a days.I remember four years back around 30 guys from my batch went for navy test (guess there is6 or 7 rounds interview) and only one got through.
After the AK anthony become defense minister he raised there salary and other benefits also.In my native i have seen lot of youngsters preferring to get into defense sector
Brilliant analysis.
We need to include some sort of military training at schools and colleges.
It will not only improve the physical condition of our youths but will also provide a steady flow of officers to the Army as some will obviously be inclined towards a career in Armed forces.
@Brilliant – we do have NCC!
Hitchy,IHM,Dinu,Swaram,Sunder,Charakn,Kanagu,Indian Pundit,Rohit Agarwal,AT…Thanks a ton for sharing your thoughts..Though i do have lot to share,currently,i am crazy with my exams.. Started yesterday,till May 5th..Grrrr… Will get back to all of you once I get a little time of mine..
Good day and thanks for being there..
Nimmy
All the best for the exams 🙂
🙂 Thanks..Exams were fine..sorry for late reply..
The only problem is shortage of manpower,can be overcome by give the preferance for NCC cadets(not only mathematical or technical for certain) because they already have some what knowledge on Army and have the interest to serve.
The army conduct ‘army camp’ to recruite the persons.this is not correct way.
Welcome here 🙂
Yes,since NCC cadets are those who are interested and have some idea about the system,will better accommodate with the whole system..
Army keeps giving out bad news day by day..Sadly,I don’t feel that proud about my nation’s army,than earlier…
I want to join army. I want to serve my country.I want to sever my mother land. Just give one chance to every indian than we wil show the power of our INDIA. No one dears to touch our country. ITS PROMISE………………………….
Dont play politics in this. INDIA is important than anything to us
JAI BHARATH MATA KI…………………………
there is only frastration in army ,due to stagnation hardships,you can not open your mouth even on right things,only buttering is requiered in army if u have lots of butter you join army otherwise for god sake do not join army,no qulification no courses required in army if u have lots of butter, no promotion after LT COL,for god sake do not join army make carrer in other field army spoil your carrer with in second i suggest DO NOT JOIN INDIAN ARMY
I want to join army. I want to serve my country.I want to sever my mother land. Just give one chance to every indian than we wil show the power of our INDIA. No one dears to touch our country. ITS PROMISE………………………….
Dont play politics in this. INDIA is important than anything to us
JAI BHARATH MATA KI…………………………
you foolish scowndrels!if pak army wants it can blow you into pieces then those pieces into cubes and then those cubes into ash!!!we have done a thing that not even the usa had done in 1992 so go suck your indian armies fake prides fake lead!!!!!!!!
Anil, if that is too happen then kindly go and check all the records. PAKISTAN HAS ALWAYS FAILED TO WIN A WAR AGAINST INDIA!!! Its our country tht keeps on giving those bastareds a chance to open a war against us (thanks to our politicians ). U have no idea about the strength of the Indian Army and the other forces.
dear, i hav read the posts that ppl hav put here about the Armed Forces bein not upto the mark n some very strong points not joinin the forces. Well i respect their feelings but would like to draw the attention towards the life of a soldier differently which is beyond its various drawbacks. I have seen the forces very closely since my grandfather, father, and now even my husband stand tall in serving the nation. No doubt, the salaries aint as high as the private sector, there is a lot of separation between families, the lifestyle is tough, we travel all the time and above all the life is very uncertain! But trust me, the zeal i have seen in all these men, my grandfather. Father, husband, all make me want to belong to all these set of very special men! always! As they say, there r some things money cant buy for everything else…for everything else there is master card, similarly the private sector may give u handsome salaries but each day u do it all 4 urself. M glad my special men have done what none of u hav done. They have been thinkin of u all! So remember that u all sleep safe and sound because of these extraordinary and selfless men in the uniform.↲i see some of these young guys and gals wearing the army print clothes, well i have to tell u guys that it takes lot of pain n courage to be wearing that. So next time when you think of propagating a thot of not joining the forces , THINK! m proud of all the men in the uniform n their respective lady wives. Lv u all!
Well said, lady!
This ‘pride’ is what’s missing among youth today.
We better develop some high-tech weapons soon, so we won’t require so many of these ‘selfish’ youth for the army.
God bless the Army!
though i do agree with certain points, but all systems do have room 4 improvement and m sure a team of good men can bring a substantial and worthy change.
jay hind
Hi Nimmy,
well researched. wonder how u got the internal dope though.
regards
mave
Who wrote this piece and got 15/15 marks for it? As a NCC cadet, rank under officer, passed B & C certificates, topper in B cert exam. Gave my written (100% in english) and then the dreaded SSB. (services selection board). Was very very keen on the short service commission.(army) I couldnt go for fighter pilot training, since I didnt have a degree in maths/physics. Let me tell you something. The SSB over 4 days is the TOUGHEST exam in the WORLD. Entire batches are washed off. They look for “officer-like-qualities” OLQ, which is just a euphemism for “inborn leadership qualities.” From what I understand they recruit born leaders. Which many dont have. There are lotssss of people like me, who are very very keen on army career who dont get selected. Specially kids of army soldiers, who want to move up the ranks and become officer. Lots and lots and lots of youngsters are extremely keen on it, but they lack these qualities. I met lots of people in NCC days, who had set their heart out on army career. My idea of SSC for 5 years was best of both the worlds. 5 years in army, then civilian career, in sales.Didnt make the grade. Let them change their selection procedure. Or maybe lower the standards a little.
Since that fiasco, I have made a career in marketing – next best in a field job. Worked for multinationals. Corporate executive. I have travelled the country, part of other countries, made money, met different nationalities. Let me tell you, the only regret I have in life is that I didnt have that 5 years in army.
hiiii nimmmi
its very content. really I appreciate ur efforts. although I do want to join indian army. i am student of military school.
hiiii nimmmi
its very great content. really I appreciate ur efforts. although I do want to join indian army. i am student of military school.
cogratulations! happy celebrations to independance day.
Improve the indian army and technical stuff as No.1 in the world. Try ourself with our own knowledge for our country.
We are always support you.
Thank you my dear soldiers.
Hi all,
The question of SSB being the toughest in the world at that age group is true…however there is a method to all madness…What ppl look for during these interviews is not OLQ but a will to learn,be open to ideas,call a spade a spade,be positive or try at least and most important of all be yourself…Guys thes ppl have seen so many candidates that it is easy to make out whos faking it…enough of bhashan……
Nimmy nice article though ….some pts I would like to add…Its not all that bad…true the army is stretched thin due to lack of intake however it is still in fine fettle….Each officer is doing the job of two or three and that too without complaining…If it would have been that grim then the army would have collapsed…There you would get the answer also regarding lowering of standards for intake…As the standards have not gone down, that is why the army is still coping with this massive shortage with capable officers…Standards should not be lowered …you are then playing with the future of our country.
Regarding pay and allowances …you cannot get it all in one go…The sixth pay commission was a step in the right direction and all of us hope that the men in uniform are compensated well enough sooner or later for the tough job they do and the challenging lifestyle they lead…..
JAI HIND
I just got a call letter for SSB interview in Bhopal for TGC Engineers entry.
I dont have any relative in the army, so i dont know how its like to be in the army…so i hvae been looking for some perspective whether to go for the interview at all…
Well, after reading yourposts, i am not so encouraged 😦
I am a software engineer in IT. Would I be making a wrong decision?
i am student of final year ycce nagpur (part time degree cource)i am 25 year old this octomber will you suggests me to how to join army as technical entry ..
i am really want to join army pls suggest me if you are?
Basic causes for the problem
Frequent transfers
Isolation from family
High levels of stress
Low pay in comparison to the risk involved
Slow promotions
Military’s tough lifestyle
Post-marriage, life in the forces are not comfortable.
Family accommodation is inadequate.
Level of corruption too high but it remains difficult to expose.
Despite the existing harmony, there exist divisions based on religion, language and geographical locations.
Only very few would opt for life time career in armed forces as frustration crops up due to lack of transparency in promotions.
One can be successful only with Pleasing the Boss attitude.
Limited choices only are available to plan children’s education and their career.
Rough life in forward areas
thats so true
Nonsense, open up space for lower ranks rather than looking for the stupid OLQ outside. Lots of OLQs wasting their life in lower ranks … cant u see?
heh…you guys really suck dont you…
The reasons for people not opting to army are not because of stress and family life. They lie at very root of beaurocratic institutions that govern the forces and decide their lives.
1. Complete lack of realistic organizational policy – Old world hierarchical and non-performance oriented jobs
2. Monetary incentives- As compared to corporate sectors the armed forces do not mach even the basic pay scales of low-mid level companies in corporate sector.
3. Archaic postings and exits – There are complete lack of facilities to deal with various issues within army…too much postings, heathcare, civilian assistance for families left behind.
4. 19th century PR- One look at the PR compaings armed forces are carrying, it is quite laughable. In the world of social media the forces are still relying on 19th century come and join machines. This gives no idea for a prospective joinee to understand what is there for him, what will be the career like, how will his abilities used, what are the options
As long as the hierarchical ways for these careers do not change and keep using old world methods the youth are not going to show any interest ….
Hii guys
i guess that its nt that youth is nt interested just try to do
a little survey rather then clicking keys on keyboard..Lots of youths come to selection boards after clearing NDA/CDS/EKT/AFCATCET/ etc etc and it takes abt 6 months
to get the written result and ssb call after that when one get rejected in ssb how will he get the courage to look forward fr another try.It may be easy in some direct entrys where there is no written and let me tell you i have seen 250 guys each day coming to ssb board out of which only 3-5 make it finally.
The selection is very rare.There are candidates who have appeared more then 5 times for ssb but still nt selected.
In dis scenario i dnt know hw will army get there desired officers morever those get selected easily will surely look for another job when they will get chance in future. Bt those who tried more then 10 times and nt selected just imagine hw long could they have served if they were there.
yepp its true slection process is quite slow in all govt services.
where as corporate takes all the talent rt frm the graduate level and provide selection very fast.
why i didn’t join army,even it was my dream frm childhood,and i hv NCC “C” certificate too with Grade A.and i passed CDS exam too.
i found if i go in army my future is not safe,less pay and main trouble start after retirement.whn ur life get change suddenly, i found there are corruption also. i wanted to serve my country and want to hd adventure,wanted to fight with terrorist also etc.but its nt necessary they wud give me posting where i want.our army still fightin with ww-II weapons,there r no bravery to fight with 303 rifle in front of enemy who hv AK47,this happened in war with china,if gov. not payin attention on army modernization than why sud youth like me risk life.our life is more imp. than those corrupt leaders whom i consider as traitor.and they play politics even with army as in J&K.i also saw how much discipline soldier hv while i was traveling in train, and i saw soldier bullying and abusing civilian,that day i changed my plan to be an officer in army and i admitted in MBBS course in medical college .while i m in my final yr i again thought to join army as doctor,and i consult to some family frnds who r in army medical corps, and they advice me to not join with lot of reasons.
i love my country,i respect indian army too,but corrupt and ineligible gov. is all responsible,to destroying passion of
army.army sud get pay more with all facility,bcoz there r no other profession where some one risk life as in army.
i will advice all if u nt get good profession choose it as last option.bcoz army is not gettin respect frm gov. as it sud. if someone wanna serve to country he can do better if he become minister.bcoz ministers make rules not army officer or Sepoy.
The main reason for our youth not joining the Indian Army is the lifestyle. Most of our youth is either surfing the Internet for entertainment or going to malls. The desire and fire to joining Armed forces no more exists.
We believe in corporate environments where a lot is discussed and less is implemented. Who would even want ot go through rigorous physical and mental training.
Today, there is no sense of pride in joing the defense.
Let us face it – there is only a very tiny group which really wants to join the force.
And who has the stamina to get through the physical tests and challenges?
Like any idiot officer in army you have also compared the army job with the job in private sector.
As an army officer they are Government servant and they must expect more than that.
How ever they also must get promotions the same way their counterparts in other class0ne job they get
like every should be getting grade pay of 8900 at the service of 14 years like in any class one job. where as in army the fact is that 65 percent of them they will never go beyond the grade pay of 8000
fantastic words
i am quality engineer ,searching for job in indian army in cantonment plants
I think the age criterias for these services should changed the age limit should raised atleast by 2 yrs cause many rural stundents have no idea abt cds exam , ssb etc. N when they get idea abt these things n in preperation age limit crossed n also sum students failed n doing degree after diploma dnt get chance for cds exam for air force army as they r nt eligible by age criteria so pls owner of this site or who raised this issue sir please try to send this issue of age to people who set this criterias n sir if u know who set these criterias pls tel me i want to write a letter to respected officer or committe abt raising age limit thnx.
I think age criteria is also a one of the factor in this issue. For CDS exam the age limit is 22, 23 n 24 for IN, IAF , IA resp. In my observation i found most of rural tallented students even also doing engg dnt have any idea abt this exam also many tallentend students fail also many students doing their degree after diploma. Such students get idea abt this upto that time they r nt eligible in age criteria so keepin merit level same why these age limits raised by two yrs max. Due raising this criteria there is no loss to our forces but they may get advantage n good results. If anyone knows by which committee or by whom these rules set pls tell me. I want to contact them and want to give my suggestion.
Wohwoh…for heavens sake don’t let this happen guys..let them est the 3rd academy at gaya or in the entire up/ bihar belt..don’t even think of making it anymore filthier..the only state dat is eligible for this kind of a coveted honour is Himachal Pradesh…n Darjeeling…. for that matter…protect thy country…
i am an indian.i thank to my father and maa becase i bone in INDIA.
First Of all who ever gave you 15/15 must be on drugs or from Pak army or an Indian bureaucrat. Some of the points you have discussed are right but most of them are wrong….Let me explain what career in the Army means and why it one of the best in India ….
Army is not a career its a WAY OF LIFE!! Those who understand this its great otherwise please dont even try for it…..Most of the great guns on this blog is worried about Armed forces salaries let me tell you They are much much much higher then most of the IT professionals and so called third grade engineers of reputed firms like Accenture, L&T , INFY and all….A LT draws 40+ which u wont be getting in any IT company so stop giving this pay bullshit…..
Secondly Armed forces is not about pay you cant compare an engineer earning 1 lakh plus (senior level) to President of India who draws 1.25 ….A president will always be president …..same like a COLONEL Will always be bigger in the eyes of civilians then a HSBC Senior Manager …
Thirdly UNIFORM itself is priceless….When u fly a sukhoi, drive a T 90 or operate as Marine Commandos (MARCOS) you are no longer a normal person…..You dont get these things in Standard chartered or ICICI bank offices….
Fourthly the kind of Lifestyle Armed forces officers enjoys cannot be matched by even big corporates….A brigadiers house is super sized bunglow , with 2 jawans, cook, car and so many facilities from golf clubs, swimming pools , rations etc etc to match that you have to head mid size corporate company……
thats right buddy these people has very small brain and limited to the salaries . they are just idiot.i think they have never seen the life style of colonel or above ranks
lets just leave them with there small mentallity.
Also if earning and money is what youth wants why even work in India in the first place lol….Salaries in Australia, Middle east are 6 times higher then what you get in India so does that mean everybody should leave India and go to Australia, Dubai etc…
Lakhs of student appear for SSB but only few get selected this is the reason for low levels thats it….Corruption in Armed forces is very low (lowest among all services and industry ) ….
I have resighned from the Indian Navy though I was offered permanent commision in engineering officer cadre……I WAS FRUSTRATED WITH DEFENCE CULTURE AND BLOODY HEIRARCHY…INDIAN DEFENCE SUCKS BIG TIME.,,,,I WASTED MY TIME.
Hi Shanky,
Woow thats a big statement what you made here. can you please elaborate and educate these guyz why not to choose it..
Thanks in advance..
hello!
I’ve also resigned from IA (I was persuing trainging at OTA). I won’t say army is not a good option, infact it’s one of the best. but it depends upon the person. Okay here are some things which everyone should consider b4 joining defence forces:
1. join it, iff you have passion for it.
2. IA doesn’t only controls your proffessional life, but your whole life.
3. iin trainging they treat you like shit, well if they really want to toughen the guys up, they can raise the physical standards of the trainging rather than using seniours as abusing machines.
4. once joined, u can’t leave army (you have a bond signed)
this is real thing if once join you lost your whole precious life and become a slave in front of seniors.
@Shanky
can you give me your email id? actually i have cleared cds and finally ssb to join indian army for ssc. But as so many other youths i m getting confused as i am an engg and m earning about 30,000 at start of my career which any way will grow by about 10% per annum . now m getting confused as if why should i join army.. i am really very passionate about army but i also do think alot about my future too..:((
U r right sir.. life is a shit in defence forces
Jai hind sir, indian army ki sedhi bharti baraily me kab hai.
agreed …… INDIAN ARMY is for ppl who r willing to keep d nation before themselves …… u will b dissappointed if u judge it thru d eyes of 9 to 5 job guy ….. as far as salary goes its not as low as being projected …… its very easy to comment frm outside but u need balls to go out n experience what d jawans go thru …. even paramilitary forces like CRPF r working harder den army n suffer more casualties den army ….. at least d army knows who r her ememy but CRPF has to fight wid d unknown (maoists) …. appreciate der efforts
I am happy that this very moot point is being debated. In any infantry battalion if 10 ot 12 officers perform their regimental and operational duties satisfactorily then imagine how much pressure they must be under. I think this is what motivated me to write a book callad –GRIT GUTS and GALLANTRY –The Officers and Gentlemen of the Indian Army.To a passive onlooker –when Corporate CEOs ,film stars ,cricketers talk of salaries in crores –then youth considers them his idols–this is inevitable in a peace time scenario and will change dramatically in war!The Army’s approach to involvement at grassroot level with schools ,colleges and at University level is minimal and the Government’s attitude of de negrating the Army is fraught with danger. The bureaucrats do not help –for them the signs of an impending coup are enough to scare the politicians!The Army Generals fail to respond when they shud be vocal enough–mum is the word–so how does the youth get drawn to a tough life if he gets low pay and a poor pension!We have to respect the soldier ,the ones who let you sleep in peace–mock them and your cradle will rock too! Respect them for they get your babies out of shafts–rescue people in accidents,disasters,floods and riots–your sentinels! They dont ask much–respect does not cost a thing and a little extra is always welcome–learn from other countries my countrymen!Jai Hind!
good one:)
The content which i had read above saying not to join indian army s misleading. m a dental student n i can go to many lucrative which offers me bettr pay n bettr eminities…but i noe dats not d thing i wantd to do..m determined to join it bocoz wn u do d thng u really wanted to do u do ur best..i want to serve indian army….want to give ma heart n soul to indian army…
jai hind , jai bharat
I requiremet in Army
i love my counteryyyyyyyyyyyyy
I like indian army…………………………………..
army is my lyf my mission my goal..
il gv everythng nd turn out 2 b n d indian national army..
the all said are not the real fact for joinig the army…………i like the all prospesctus of army and i want to join also and i will
good army
They need special treatment and consideration.
1) They need to be given highest salary
2) Entry exams to NDA must be easy and accessible to all students including Arts and all science students, not only Mats and Physics.
3) Permanent pension to be given, Retired or posthumous.
4) Free housing on retirement
5) Government to take care of the family of the deceased defence personnel, including, housing, education marriages, etc.And all utilities to be made available free.
Patriotism alone can not make people take sacrificing decisions, they need to look after their dependents also.
Apologies if I am wrong.
Regards and blessings to my Soldiers sons, daughters, brothers and sisters.
I pray always God to be with them to bless and protect.
Uma Maheswar Nakka
hello guys:
i am a first year student in btech of delhi college of engineering.i have given my ssb 4 times and i was not selected.
but for me life in the army is everything and i would give up my seat in dce when i will be selected.
I am always ready to join,still waiting for the NDA 2 2012 results.i am hoping to get selected this time.
Army has always been my passion,for me it doesn’t matter how i get paid or how i get treated.
But here is the question i need some help with,what if i didn’t get selected in the NDA? Since i am ready to fulfill my dream of joining the Army and serving my Motherland by any way possible i am sure that i will make it one day.
Even then any help from anyone willing to help will be appreciated greatly.
If anyone out there is willing to help me,please….my email id is vsneo18@gmail.com
ph :+918951210911
or
+919656343833
hai frdz hw r u .i loved indanarmy……..!!!!!
peole are blessing to indian army (genttilmen)
.am final year bbm stundent…..
l lv my country….some people dnt like this job……why…?…but i lvd army job
…i am try it ;onday i will join in indian army…’♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡lv u &mis u♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Most of committed aspirates (specially from civilian back ground) who aspire to join armed forces are passion driven..the SSB process is not fair…the selector who are army officers are involved in preferential selection. biased towards candidates from army background…like the selectors of pre independence british English army who were biased towards britishers….this is the bottom line of the problem and the main reason of huge attrition in Indian Defence forces ..along with so called officers like quality they should also give importance to passion and commitment
Very well written. Came across your blog after a write-up on my blog about why the armed forces is losing its charm as a career and such.
service conditions in india army is poor. as i see coconditions of army officer are good but what abouy jawan. is he is not facing any stress. he is also facing a lot of stress from all sides and committed suicide much more than officers. indian army is no more than a slave amry. i thing it was more freedom in army during britsh time but now nobody have have the right to live comfortably. as i heard that army standa for protection of human rights but is army person arw not human beings and where are our rights. totally slave like conditions in indian army. nobody cares about this thing they say that this is your duty butin future i strongly assured that a young boy will prefer job in front of ATM than to be a part of indian army. poor standard. .3rd largest army..poor living conditions. .poor administration. ..rash behavior of seniors. ..even all people want to quit army as soon as possible but some have their basic requirements for this job.