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Fill up vacancies

Last Updated 19 December 2011, 17:52 IST

It is a matter of concern that all the paramilitary forces in the country are experiencing a serious shortage of personnel at all levels. Official reports have recently placed the shortage at over one lakh personnel, with the  Border Security Force (BSF), which is deployed on the sensitive Indo-Pak border, topping the list with 25,000 vacancies.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which mans the disputed border with China, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is engaged in anti-militancy operations, and the Central Industrial Security  Force (CISF), in charge of the security of vital installations and industrial units, are all short of around 17,000 more personnel each. Other forces are also reeling under a shortage of personnel. Even the elite National Security Guards (NSG) is not fully staffed.

The fact that most of the vacancies are at the lower levels makes the situation worse because the operational efficiency of the forces is critically dependent on the strength of the manpower at these levels.

The forces are engaged in vital national security tasks involving external and internal threats. Shortage of personnel will create more pressure on those who are deployed in risky and mentally demanding assignments like border patrolling and anti-Maoist operations. Even by the union home ministry’s admission the existing vacancies will be filled only in the next two years. By then it is likely that more vacancies will arise because there are plans to raise new battalions.

It is strange that the uniformed forces are unable to attract young people when there is a high level of unemployment in the country. Defence services also suffer from an estimated shortage of about 15,000 officers.  Are salaries not good enough?

Service conditions, facilities and retirement benefits are all claimed to be good,  but are they actually so? What serving personnel or young people looking for a career feel about these matters is important.

It must also be found out whether there is undue physical and mental strain on the personnel. Public perceptions on these issues are important because they influence the decisions of young men looking for jobs.

It is true that there are much more opportunities now than in the past but careers in the uniformed forces have merits and advantages which many other jobs do not have. They can perhaps be made more attractive. There is also the need to convey the attractiveness effectively to the public.

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(Published 19 December 2011, 17:52 IST)

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