The Department of Military Affairs is moving towards finalising the “Tour of Duty (ToD)” scheme.
Context
The Department of Military Affairs is moving towards finalising the “Tour of Duty (ToD)” scheme.
What is a Tour of Duty?
- It means hiring a youth in the armed forces for a short span of 3-5 years.
- The idea of hiring jawans on a three-year contract was first floated in 2020.
- The idea was the brainchild of late Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat.
- The Indian Army will be the first of the three armed forces to recruit some soldiers for a fixed period of three years.
- Around 25% of them would serve in the Army for three years and 25% troops would serve for five years.
- The remaining 50% would continue to serve in the Army for the full term till they reach their retirement age.
- Proposal states that 50% of soldiers released at the end of three and five years will be included in the National Pension Scheme.
- Such soldiers will be given certain medical benefits, applicable to Armed Forces veterans, for a fixed period.
Background
- It started during World War II when the British realized that they needed far more officers than those who could be commissioned from either Sandhurst or the JSW (Joint Services Wing).
- These officers came on a contract for five-10 years and could be later converted to a permanent commission.
- This was done till the end of World War II.
- In 1962 during the Indo-China War, the Emergency Commission was reopened and based on the increasing requirement of the officers, Officers Training School (OTS) in Chennai was opened, which granted short-service commissions to five-10 years.
Models for recruitment
- The Army is considering two different models for recruitment in the future:
- One under which youth can voluntarily serve in the Army for a temporary period of three years.
- The other where they are recruited by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), trained and posted in the Army for about seven years, before being transferred back.
- The first model, of three years’ service, is called ‘Tour of Duty’, while the other is called ‘Inverse Induction’.
- Currently, the only option apart from regular permanent commission into the armed forces is the short service commission, in which officers are recruited for a period of 14 years.
Significance
- The soldiers would be given a payout along with priority in recruitment to certain government jobs, including the central armed police forces.
- An effort is also on to nudge corporate India into hiring such ex-ToD recruits for specific lines of work in the private sector on a priority basis.
- ‘Tour of Duty’, will help not only resolve the issue of shortages of personnel but also reduce the burden of pay rises and pensions.
- As per the original ToD proposal, the “prospective life-term saving” in the cost of engagement of a single jawan who leaves after 17 years of service with pension and other benefits, as compared to a ToD jawan will be Rs 11.5 crore.
- The cumulative money saved in pay and gratuity payouts can consequently be used for the much-needed military modernization.
