New Delhi, June 27
With more than 50,000 officers and men in military service hanging up their boots every year, the government is “seriously” looking at the option of providing employment to ex-servicemen in central paramilitary forces.

Defence Minister AK Antony emerging from a meeting of the Kendriya Sainik Board told reporters that one of the suggestions was to find more opportunities for ex-servicemen in the paramilitary forces. “The government will discuss this issue seriously and already some discussions are going on,” Antony said.

The minister said every year around 50,000 officers and other ranks retired from the services but their skills were not being utilised effectively post-retirement. The nation could not afford to waste the vast reservoir of disciplined workforce. With hands-on work experience in about 300 trades, the young, disciplined workforce could be of immense benefit to society and the nation, the minister added.

Antony said he had written to the Chief Ministers of all states to provide more avenues of employment to ex-servicemen. The states must devise ways and means to open up more fields of economic activity where the rich and practical experience of ex-servicemen could best be utilised.

It was also decided at the meeting to make an appeal to the Centre, state governments and the private sector to take more retired armed forces personnel in their pool.

Asked if the government was planning to accept the demand of ex-servicemen for “one rank, one pension”, Antony said in the last seven years of the UPA rule, the pensions of Army personnel had been increased twice. “Though ‘one rank, one pension’ is a dream, we are nearing it. Our approach is... that step by step increase it at least to the nearest pole. We are in the process and whenever we get an opportunity, we try to increase it,” he said.

Antony said the ministry was also going to ask the state governments to increase the reward money paid to gallantry award winners and their families.

“Recently we had increased the amount for them but that is not enough. We are again going to take up that matter with the government,” he said.