“Silence, soldier is sleeping”, reads the memorial of a soldier who sacrificed his everything to usher in peace for us. It is this supreme sense of dedication, patriotism and sacrifice that make the Armed Forces the most respected service in the world.

The army is a passion, not a profession for they never lower their guard, in peace or war. And that explains why it is written on their graves, “When you go home tell them of us, we gave our today for your tomorrow”. A grateful nation never ignores the sacrifices made by them and their families.

National security depends on the quality and training of soldiers that has deteriorated in the past two decades because of shabby treatment meted out to soldiers by bureaucrats.

On an average, soldiers retire in the age group of 44 to 54 years, following which they live on meager pensions. The civilian counterparts, on the other hand, lead an easy life retiring at 60 with the tag of senior citizens.

The short-sighted policies of the Centre since 1984 have resulted in an acute shortage of officers, as quality candidates are now reluctant to come forward and join the armed forces.

With the recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission not implemented yet, a number of officers have been forced to file petitions in high courts, seeking Rank Pay benefits.

The poor policies of the Central Pay Commission create a situation, wherein a Major General retiring before January 1, 1996, receives lesser pension than a Colonel retiring a decade later.

... contd.