Antony expresses concern over shortage of personnel in armed forces

Allahabad, Mar 28 : Defence Minister A K Antony today said that the Government has asked the Armed Forces to send a report to the Government of shortages of personnel in the Services.

He said that he had asked the Armed Forces to "carefully study the scenario and come out with a report on the possible ways to make a career in the armed forces more attractive for the younger generation."

Antony was inaugurating the Defence Pension Training Institute here. Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju accompanied him.

In his inaugural address at the ceremony, he asserted that the Government is committed to ensure "a life of dignity for people who have retired from the armed forces".

"An important step in this direction would be to develop a grievance-free pension sanction and disbursal system, and the new institute has been set up to overcome the skill deficit that has been coming in the way of achieving the end," Antony said.

He also said the Government has declared 2008 as "the year of ex-servicemen", to ensures that all possible measures would be adopted "to make things easier for the nearly 22 lakh defence pensioners in the country".

ANI