The Indian Army has for long been visionary in its approach to welfare of all ranks. I had made it an act of faith to improve the service conditions of all ranks of the army and lead a well-trained, happy, highly motivated and spirited team. With this in mind, I pushed for an assured career progression plan for officers and men. The scale and number of soldiers who would benefit from this initiative would certainly have far-reaching implications on the morale and satisfaction levels of our soldiers. The sepoys, non-commissioned officers and junior commissioned officers would be eligible for ‘three steps assured’ progression in their careers. For instance, a soldier would be assured of the pay scale of a naik (corporal), a havildar (sergeant) and a junior commissioned officer after putting in eight, sixteen and twenty-four years of service respectively. The government approved this proposal and it has been implemented from 1 January 2008. The officers too would get a time-scale promotion to the rank of colonel on completion of twenty-six years of service. While implementing the A.V. Singh Committee (Part II) recommendations, there was a lot of wrangling by the other services to try and corner more posts of two- or three-star ranks. I stood my ground and insisted that the distribution of these additional vacancies be on a pro-rata basis. The other two services already had an edge vis-à-vis the army and I didn’t want the situation to be skewed further. The problem got accentuated in the tri-service institutions where the juniors in service belonging to the navy or air force would be commanding their seniors from the army, because of this differential. Eventually, logic prevailed and we got a fair deal.
One of the most important issues was the presentation of the armed forces case for the 6th Pay Commission. This happened when I was the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee and the army chief. The three services adopted a highly synergized strategy to get the best possible pay and perks package for all ranks. After preliminary deliberations, the broad principles to be followed by the pay commission cell were enunciated by me. These were:
• All three services pay cells should adopt a joint and unified approach. We should not work at cross purposes on any issue, but support each other’s service-specific demands.
• The proposals should seek an equitable and just package to make the armed forces an attractive career. We must consciously pitch at a higher level, so that we get a substantial raise in the pay and allowances package.
• The ‘X’ factor should be quantified keeping in mind the unique and hazardous working environment. The service conditions and early retirement should be compensated adequately.
• ‘One rank one pension’ and disability or special pension should be strongly projected.
Certain key issues were spelt out by me for the army, and our pay commission cell was set up with effect from May 2006 under the supervision of Major General K.R. Rao, the additional director general (personnel and services). Under the guidance of General Rao, the pay cell did a magnificent job. After achieving unanimity amongst the three services, we made a forceful presentation to the 6th Pay Commission during March 2007. Thereafter, a memorandum was submitted to the Pay Commission containing the proposals of the armed forces on 15 April 2007. The commission announced its report in March 2008. All along we insisted that the award of this Pay Commission should be made effective from 1 January 2006. We were happy that the government finally agreed to do so. The major achievements of the armed forces on this issue were:
• Common pay scales for the soldiers, sailors and airmen with the same entry-level qualification.
• A separate military service pay was introduced which would be treated as pay for all purposes, including calculation of basic pension.
• Pension of all ranks at 50 per cent of last pay drawn, irrespective of the length of service.
• Pay band-4 to be applicable to lieutenant colonels, colonels and brigadiers.
• Near ‘one rank one pension’ for those who retired prior to 1 January 2006.
• Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) plus pay scale for one-third of the lieutenant generals.
• All officers from lieutenant upwards to be entitled to travel by air while on temporary duty or when availing leave travel concession.
• An allowance of Rs 1000 per child for education – for two children.
• Pay for acting rank would be admissible without any conditions of continuous service for a fixed number of days.
We also recommended a separate pay commission for the armed forces in the future, as is the practice in many other democratic countries. We were fairly satisfied with the final outcome, though there were a few areas where our recommendations were not given the desired weightage. All ranks and the veterans are getting a handsomer pay and pension package today.
An area which caused me great concern was the poor financial state of our soldiers, particularly after they retired. Veterans who have sacrificed so much for the country and served the army with dedication during their youth, most certainly deserve a better deal as far as pensions are concerned. During the deliberations of the Pay Commission we insisted that the pensions be enhanced to make it possible for these veterans to live with dignity and honour, and emphasized ‘one rank one pension’ with all the force at our command. When we meet these old warriors at reunions, they appear to have aged prematurely, although their spirit remains undiminished. We as leaders need to help them achieve financial security while in service. It is a matter of pride that we have been able to create viable and self-sustaining institutions serving the cause of serving and retired personnel and their dependents, as also for war widows.
I have strong views on the system of giving honours and awards. First and foremost, recognition must be given for acts of gallantry in a fair and unbiased manner and as close to the date of the action as possible. To arrest the trend of an unhealthy race for awards by showing more ‘kills’, I banned the use of that word on becoming the chief. I declared that commanders and units would be judged by their overall performance and not just by the number of terrorists killed. We could not afford any more cases such as the one of fake killings videofilmed in Siachen. Besides, it is my view that ‘yudh seva’ (distinguished service for war) medals should be given only in exceptional cases in peace time. Even during the Kargil war, I could not reconcile myself to the fact that some senior officers were given the ‘yudh seva’ series of awards when most of the others in the same headquarters were awarded distinguished peace service awards. Indiscretion and double standards of this kind lower the sanctity of the awards. No system can be foolproof, yet it should be our endeavour to see that deserving cases get honoured appropriately and at the right time. Furthermore, I strongly recommend introducing a system where a ‘sena’, ‘nau sena’ or ‘vayu sena’ medal (equivalent of a military cross) could be pinned on the spot in the field by the chiefs. There can be nothing more inspiring or motivating for the officers and men. The government needs to look into this important factor and, if required, guidelines could be spelt out for this step.
‘The army marches on its stomach’ is a famous saying. Therefore, the quality of rations supplied to our officers and men was an important issue for me. I was encouraged by the caring attitude and interest shown by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who often enquired about the standard of rations. Practically during every conference, I would make it a point to convey to my army commanders and principal staff officers that they must ensure that all ranks get their authorized rations and of the specified quality. I believed that the specifications needed to be upscaled if we wanted to see a genuine improvement. In fact, we began sending the feedback received from the lower formations for the information of the defence minister. One day, I asked for a meeting with the minister wherein a presentation would be made about the need to enhance the qualitative specifications of rations. I ensured the presence of the secretaries of defence and finance so that we could get an approval in principle on the spot, and move the file thereafter. I am grateful to the minister that he approved our proposals, and today the armed forces are getting a much better quality of basic rations (rice, wheat, lentils, tea, salt and sugar). We received a complaint from the ministry of defence against the head of supplies relating to some irregularities in procurement of rations. This matter was investigated and as a result, some of the individuals found blameworthy are now facing a court martial or other disciplinary action.
As mentioned earlier, one of my foremost key result areas was the health care of our serving and retired soldiers. It was projected to the ministry of defence that we needed the latest equipment and diagnostic facilities – as are available at the Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi – at all our command hospitals, namely at Udhampur, Chandigarh, Pune, Calcutta, Lucknow and Guwahati. This process started in 2006–07. I won’t be amiss in stating that the armed forces medical, dental, nursing officers and paramedics are amongst the best in the country; some of them are indeed world class. All they need is state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. And this received my undivided attention. It was also my desire that the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) emerges as the best health care project for our veterans. Even though the Army HQ launched this scheme a bit prematurely in 2004–05, as the army commander, Western Command, I ordered the deployment of doctors and paramedic staff along with equipment of our combat medical units on an ad-hoc basis, to make sure that our veterans were looked after in the best possible manner. It took a year or so to procure equipment like X-ray machines and other diagnostic apparatus for the ECHS clinics spread all over the country. I held a meeting in Delhi with the managing directors and chief executive officers of empanelled private hospitals, dental and diagnostic centres to discuss the aim and scope of the ECHS. The meeting was attended by eminent doctors such as Dr Naresh Trehan and Dr S. Khanna. Measures to streamline the timely clearance of bills of the hospitals were discussed and I also appealed to the medical fraternity not to exploit the veterans and the ECHS. In the long run it would definitely prove to be a win-win for all the stakeholders.
Orders were issued by my adjutant general, Lieutenant General A.S. Jamwal, that it would be the responsibility of the nearest army station HQ to take care of all the funeral arrangements and related expenses whenever any veteran passed away. This was to facilitate dignified and befitting funerals and last rites of veterans. I was happy to see that this measure was very well received by the rank and file and particularly by the families, for whom it became a matter of pride and a source of comfort.
From the point of view of morale and motivation, judicious, equitable and timely grant of leave is a very important function of command. Some leaders are stingy about leave and some go to the extent of clamping down on it before an important event to make sure that everyone is present. Consequently there are bound to be some demotivated soldiers around, and things that could go wrong often did. As a leader, leave was never an issue with me. If an individual had a genuine personal problem he was given leave. The only thing that I have always insisted upon is that whoever goes on leave must hand over his charge properly to the next in command and not leave behind an orphan organization. Besides, I felt that there was a huge need for enhancing the leave travel concessions for all ranks, particularly for those serving in operational areas and along the borders. I was very happy that we were able to get the MOD’s approval for the grant of a second free railway warrant annually to travel to one’s hometown. We did away with the ridiculous distance stipulation for concessional travel by train; this began in the British days, but made no sense today. In addition, as a landmark achievement, we were able to get the government’s approval for chartered civilian flights from Leh and Partapur to Delhi and from Imphal to Kolkata. The weekly air force courier flights from Guwahati to Delhi continue to operate as well. These leave travel concessions benefited all ranks immensely and helped to raise their morale and motivation level. As far as the military special trains were concerned, we were able to induct new air-conditioned first- and second-class bogies as also proper kitchen cars. This was a great milestone and resulted in a quantum jump in the quality of train journeys as compared to military special trains of the past era, as described in Part II.
Many of us joined the army for the lure of action, adventure, appeal of serving the country and the love of uniform. Very few armies are engaged in fighting insurgency and terrorism or are deployed in guarding their borders in such large numbers as ours. Therefore, those of us who are in an operational area, which is approximately 30 per cent of the army, adorn the combat dress most of the time. In our nation, despite the law forbidding use of army uniform or accoutrements by people not entitled to wear it, there has been a proliferation of similar-looking uniforms and what is worse, by personnel from civilian security companies. The combat dress was introduced in the 1980s, and sad to say, also proliferated to a ridiculous extent. Different patterns and colours of camouflage dresses began to appear every day. Presuming that the fabric used for the army uniforms was very robust, its misuse as suitcase covers or on seats in buses or holdalls became commonplace! Since the officers have to buy their uniforms they purchase the cloth available from the local markets and get their uniforms or camouflage dresses tailored. So, no two officers were dressed alike or wore the same disruptive pattern dress and accoutrements. To say that we could be mistaken as army officers from different countries wouldn’t be an exaggeration! Though the soldiers were issued with government-supplied combat dresses, the quality was poor and the colour faded very fast.
To me the combat dress symbolizes the dress of warriors. I believe that it ought to be given the same importance as the ceremonial dress. Therefore, I felt that the standardization of army uniforms, specially the battle fatigues, was an imperative need. We decided on a different cloth and camouflage pattern, based on the advice of professionals in the field of fabrics, and to prevent unauthorized usage, put the logo of the Indian Army on the fabric itself. We also standardized the belts and combat shoes and the manner of wearing the trousers – they had to be tucked into the boots. During my service in combat situations, I sometimes felt that we were two armies – one fighting terrorists or guarding the borders, facing bullets and braving hazards, and the other in higher HQs or in peaceful cantonments. They wore different uniforms. Its a fact of life that the higher the HQ, the more remote it is from the hardships being faced by those fighting it out, whether against the terrorists or in harsh living conditions.
Once, while I was commanding the brigade in Kashmir, we had a serious casualty in a counterinfiltration operation. This wounded soldier’s life was at stake and we needed to evacuate him to the hospital at Srinagar even though it had become dark and the road protection was not in place. However, at the Corps HQ no responsible staff officer was available who could authorize us to move the convoy at night. This was because there was a party going on in the Corps HQ – some dining out or the other. But surely there must have been a duty officer. Whose war were we fighting anyway? I said to myself. Finally, after getting no response, only when I asked to be put through to the corps commander, did someone come on the line and we got the OK. A life was saved.
Therefore, I made it a point as the army chief to wear the combat dress with much pride and elan whenever I visited field formations or forward areas. Besides, in a display of camaraderie and to empathize with approximately 300,000 men in arms serving in the operational areas, it was decided by me that the rest of the army would wear the combat dress every Friday. To be honest, it did create quite an impact not only amongst the services but also in the ministry of defence. The people definitely welcomed this initiative. At least on Fridays no shop assistant in the market was likely to ask us as to which security company we were working for! Soon the air force and the navy followed suit. Once a week, we felt like warriors even if we were far removed from the battlefield. This was one way of showing solidarity and conveying that we shared their challenges and hardships in spirit. I was very clear about wearing of medals and regimental badges of rank on the epaulettes: in peace it was okay, except in a combat zone or during training exercises, when we would need no orders to strip everything off from the combat dress.
A very significant development took place when we, the three service chiefs, happened to attend the presidential fleet review at Visakhapatnam on 13 February 2006. Most of us from the army or the air force had never participated in such an event before. For the navy, it is a very important professional event where they showcase their ‘shipshapeness’, or the state of operational readiness, standard of training and battleworthiness of ships. The president was taken on board a submarine by the naval chief for a brief diving manoeuvre. The rest of us had a briefing session followed by tea. There were a host of mediapersons present at the event. As usual, they were looking out for some interesting story. And as happens so often, the breaking news is not related to the event of the day. This time around too, it happened something like this – sensing an opportune moment, a group of journalists swooped down on me. Before I knew what was happening, a few mikes were jabbed towards my face. Then, one of them asked me if it was true that the Indian Army had refused to cooperate with the Sachar Committee. It was a seven-member committee, led by Justice Rajinder Sachar, which was carrying out a Muslim-specific survey as part of the government’s efforts to promote ‘minority welfare’ by studying their social, economic and education status.
The supreme commander, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, with the army, navy and air force chiefs and their better halves – Visakhapatnam, February 2006.
‘In which manner have we not cooperated?’ I queried, composing myself and trying to fathom their response. ‘General, we have learnt that the army was strongly opposed to any quota for any religious minority in the army, and is yet to provide the required data to the committee. Whereas in the case of the navy and the air force they have already done so,’ asked one of the mediapersons.
Without commenting on what the air force or navy had done, I said, ‘the system for entry into the armed forces and for enrolment is based on merit and qualifications; on the ability of an individual to perform the task assigned. We never look at things like where you come from, the language you speak, or the religion you believe in. That has always been our ethos and policy. We are an apolitical, secular and a professional force. Therefore, we consider it important that all Indians get a fair chance of joining the armed forces.’ This innocuous statement was aired live by the electronic media as ‘breaking news’ with the title ‘Army Chief rejects the Sachar Committee’, or words to that effect, which created quite a stir. It was also carried prominently by most newspapers the next day. As a matter of fact, in an editorial in a leading newspaper the next day it was said, ‘The Prime Minister’s Office has distanced itself from the move as the committee has exceeded its terms of reference, and by raising these questions is actually belittling the secular character of the Indian military. Army Chief General J.J. Singh is absolutely correct in expressing a certain reluctance to tabulate religion based data, with the armed forces taking great pride in their ability to keep their heads far above communal waters. He could not be more precise and Justice Sachar must draw a lesson from the spirit of the Army Chief’s remarks.’1 Similar views were expressed by many other national dailies too. The government accepted our viewpoint, and the matter was not raised thereafter.
Having a roof over the head is the cherished dream of all officers, JCOs and men. The fact that most of the beneficiaries of the Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO) projects have been officers and JCOs, made me wonder if that was our objective in starting AWHO in December 1978. What about the ‘jawans’ or soldiers? They could apply for a home only if it was affordable. The homes we were making were simply out of reach of the other ranks. Hence I conceived of a low-cost housing scheme dedicated to serving and retired soldiers. We tried out this concept at the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre, where a sample dwelling unit was constructed using locally available material. I was amazed to see that a one bedroom, sitting room and kitchen unit with all fittings for lights, fans and Indian-style toilet, cost about one-and-a-half-lakh rupees to construct. This did not include the cost of the land. This is how the ‘Jai Jawan Awas Yojana’ scheme came about and has become very popular. During my tenure as the chief, the first project located in the city of Jaipur was finished in less than two years, on a fast-track basis. Flats were allotted by a computerized draw, and handed over in August 2007 to soldiers at around Rs 6 lakhs; the going market price of such flats was three to four times more. Besides, they were given loans at concessional interest rates, which were lower than bank rates, from the Army Group Insurance Fund. Encouraged by the response, I asked the managing director of AWHO to carry out a survey of other locations where the soldiers would like to own homes. The men were advised to choose places where there was an army cantonment nearby so that they could avail of their entitled medical and canteen facilities, and where they would have schools for the children. Today, it gives me satisfaction to see that many more such projects have been completed or are under construction in Belgaum, Pune, Allahabad, Secunderabad, Dehradun, Bhatinda and Lucknow, besides another one in Jaipur.
The Army Group Insurance Fund (AGIF), which was registered as a society in January 1976, has grown in an impressive manner, thanks to the dedicated and selfless services of officers who managed it, in particular the late Lieutenant General (Honorary) K. Chandrasekharan. Today, it provides an insurance cover to the officers and other ranks of an amount of Rs 30 lakhs and Rs 15 lakhs respectively. Post-retirement, an extended insurance scheme of Rs 4 lakhs for officers, and Rs 2 lakhs for other ranks has also been introduced. During my tenure as COAS, we took a principled stand to protect the nature and identity of this institution when the government wanted to bring it under its regulatory control. AGIF has been providing outstanding services and schemes. It remains professionally managed and is operated with considerable financial prudence.
Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) was instituted by COAS General K.V. Krishna Rao during the early 1980s to meet the educational needs of the children of army personnel. Due to the expansion of the army in 1962, the existing Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) could not meet the demand and there were no schools in some of the army stations. The AWES, which started with a modest beginning of twenty-eight schools, runs 127 army schools today. The year 1994 was yet another milestone when General B.C. Joshi, the then COAS, took a bold decision to set up our first professional college, the Army Institute of Technology (AIT), in Pune. This indeed was an inspiring concept. The AWES added almost one professional institute every year and now has thirteen colleges or institutions. The AWES has thus filled a major void by providing avenues to our wards to join professional colleges for higher education. We had overlooked the need for such institutions in the northeast. Hence, I directed that an Army Institute of Nursing be set up at Guwahati to meet the aspirations of children of our soldiers from this region, and was happy to inaugurate this college on 7 August 2006.
Rohini, in her position as president, Army Wives Welfare Association, instituted some pathbreaking measures to ameliorate the condition of widows of soldiers, and help them gain respect and financial security. She believed that the suffering of one widow was no less than that of the other, whether her husband was a battle casualty, or had died in circumstances attributable to military service, or died post-retirement. The empathy or approach required for reducing their suffering and providing the best opportunities for their children, was the same. This enabled her to address them as ‘veer naris’ and put across the need for their socioeconomic empowerment. She conceived the programme ‘ability beyond disability’, which aimed at removing the barriers that have relegated the disabled from the mainstream of life and aimed at reintegrating them by provision of assisting devices, rehabilitation training and opportunities for their economic empowerment. The project was successfully conducted with appliances worth Rs 2.3 crore distributed in twenty-one camps. Those camps were conducted with the support of ministry of social justice and empowerment.
Both Rohini and I have imbibed the values of helping the underprivileged from our parents, who suffered so much during Partition. Hence, we thought of bringing up and educating orphans or needy children. The first child whom we took under our wing was Kuljit, in 1997. He was all of seven years and came from a poor family in terrorist-infested Doda and Kishtwar area in Kashmir. An insecure lad, traumatized by the terrorism in his region, he took some time to settle down in Delhi. In his native village, he was taught in Urdu and didn’t know a word of English. We put him in different schools depending on where I happened to be posted. He finished high school with credit, from the Army Public School, Delhi, and joined the army as a soldier as he was overage for the NDA. He is today an aspiring army officer, for he worked extremely hard and made it to the Army Cadet College, Dehradun. He plays volleyball for the college and is doing well in academics. He was perhaps the first student from the Army Public School to have joined the army as a soldier. God willing, he shall be commissioned from the Indian Military Academy as an officer in December 2013. It would be a proud day for Rohini and me. Soon after I became the chief, a media report about Kuljit went like this, ‘Seven years ago a young, trembling boy travelled all the way from Doda in Jammu and Kashmir to Delhi where he was being given a new home. Kuljit, the seven year old who used to sleep under the bed for fear of militants today hopes to become an officer in the Indian Army. He’s just written out his story and a line of it says, “I met someone like God seven years ago….” The “God”, he was referring to, is General Joginder Jaswant Singh, the new Chief of Army Staff.’2
The second child is James, who was in a children’s home in Kohima, the capital of strife-torn Nagaland. We took on the responsibility of his upbringing in 2006, when he was about ten years old. He was also educated in the Army Public School, Delhi, during my tenure as army chief. Thereafter, I got him admitted to the Sainik School, near Kohima, Nagaland. He has recently completed his tenth board examination and is doing very well. He is a prefect in the school and the captain of the football team. He will shortly be taking the NDA exam to be an army officer. A Christmas and New Year card that gives us unending joy every year is a handpainted one that has the signatures of over a hundred boys and girls from Father D’Souza’s home at Kohima, the children’s home from where James came (see Appendix 8).
Two decades ago, when I was a brigadier, I had taken my ailing mother to the hospital. There I met an officer whose wife had been diagnosed with a malignancy. I met the lady and told her to imagine that she was confronted by a tiger in a jungle. She could either close her eyes and let the tiger finish her or she could pick up a stick and fight it. She might survive or die fighting the beast, I told her. We never met again. When I became the chief, I was quite amazed to receive a letter of congratulations from the same officer, who went on to say that his wife never forgot my story, and survived fighting the ‘tiger’. It gave me much joy to read about something good that was done many years ago and forgotten.