Maintaining the Image of the Army. The image that the Army has built up over the years of being the ‘Last Bastion’ has given it a place of reverence in the society. Being a part of this wonderful organization in itself is a motivating factor for the men in uniform. Constant endeavours are, therefore, made to retain this credence. Several steps have been instituted towards this end.
High Standards of Discipline. Every effort is made to maintain impeccable standards of discipline in the Army and defaulters, if any, are brought to book without any delay.30 It is also ensured that action is initiated only after a thorough inquiry is instituted and the due process of law followed. Steps are also being initiated to re-vamp the Corps of Military Police so as to strengthen the policing system within the Army. Efforts are also in place to bring about better synergy between the Army, the Civil Administration and the police when it comes to enforcement of law where Army personnel are involved. The aim is to maintain the image the Army carries of being a ‘role model’ for the society.
the Nation invariably looks towards the Army with a lot of expectation, not only for safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also at the times of internal strife and during the hours of crisis.
Ceremonials and Parades. Ceremonials and parades have always been the forte of the Army and have acted as a great motivating factor in maintaining high standards of discipline and morale within the Army. The Army is also responsible for all the ceremonial parades held at the National level. Constant efforts are hence made to maintain the standards achieved and improve upon them where possible.
Human Rights Record. A number of States in the North East are riddled by the menace of terrorism and insurgency and the Army has been drawn in to control the same since Independence. Similar is the situation in the State of J&K where the proxy war propagated by Pakistan has resulted in large scale deployment of the Army. The operations launched by the Army to flush out militants/insurgents at times results in allegations being made of Human Rights violation by Army personnel.31 However a detailed investigation into the Human Rights violation cases involving Army personnel revealed that only 54 cases out of 1511 cases received since 1994 have been found to be true. 129 persons have been suomoto punished by the Army in these cases. The punishments awarded by the Army are severe and exemplary, including dismissal from service with life imprisonment. Our consistent efforts to reduce Human Rights violations cases have been successful and there has been a sharp decline in such cases from a high of 176 in 2002 to only 12 so far this year. Every effort is, therefore, made to ensure that no collateral damage takes place whenever any operation is undertaken, nor is an innocent ever targeted.
Given the kind of security environment prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent, compounded by the turbulent internal security situation, there is no denying the fact that the Armed Forces and the Army in particular need tomaintain the highest level of preparedness at all times.
High Standards of Fitness Levels. Given the kind of security environment prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent, compounded by the turbulent internal security situation, there is no denying the fact that the Armed Forces and the Army in particular need tomaintain the highest level of preparedness at all times. This aspect is given the highest priority at all times.
Management of Retired Personnel. Veterans who have given the best part of their life for the service of the Nation and to the Army need to be adequately cared for and this aspect is given special emphasis at all levels. A conscious effort is made to reach out to the environment and enable them to interact with appropriate agencies to resolve their problems and grievances. Compilation of a compendium also facilitates veterans to seek clarifications on queries related to pension/terminal benefits and welfare schemes that they are entitled to. Some of these are:-
- Resolution of grievances related to pensioner/terminal benefits.32
- Access to appropriate medical care.
- Access to various welfare schemes instituted by the organization.33
- Assistance in facilitating a suitable post retirement job.
- Welfare of disabled soldiers and war widows.
Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS). Access to proper health care is one of the most pressing requirements of senior citizens and it was with this prerequisite in mind that the ECHS was set up in 2003. The aim of ECHS is to provide comprehensive, quality and timely medical care to Armed Forces Veterans and their dependents. The project, which was conceptualized and initiated just about a decade back, has grown by leaps and bounds and as of date has 227 polyclinics functioning under it, providing medical cover to about 11 lakh veterans and more than 24 lakh of their dependents. The project is destined to see an exponential growth over the next couple of years with 199 more polyclinics on the anvil. It also has on its rolls 1233 private hospitals spread over 167 stations, which have been empanelled to supplement the polyclinics that are already functional.
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