Defence ministry to start MBA courses for lower rank personnel

Kochi, Mar 29 (UNI) With the corporate sector employing ex-servicemen in increasing numbers, the Ministry of Defence will start management courses for personnel below the officers rank from this year, Director General, Re-settlement, Major Gen. Harwant Krishan said today.

Addressing a press conference here, Maj. Gen. Krishan said so far management courses were being conducted at the leading business schools in the country only for officers of the defence services.

But, to encourage the re-employment of more 'jawans' and junior commissioned officers in the industry, MBA courses would be conducted for lower ranks also from this year.

'Campus placement' was also being done for armed forces personnel at the time of retirement.

''The industry is very keen to make use of the talents of our personnel. In the armed forces, the personnel pick up around 250 different trades -- everything from carpentry to rocket science,'' he added.

Lauding the ex-servicemen's initiative in Kerala to start homestays for tourists, Maj. Gen. Krishan said the idea would be replicated at the national level also, especially in states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan and Delhi, which attract a lot of tourists.

A seminar was held in Chandigarh last month to popularise the idea among ex-servicemen and another would be organised in Shimla next month, he said.

Maj. Gen. Krishan said the Directorate of Re-settlement was looking after the welfare of nearly ten million ex-servicemen and their dependents all over the country. These include 500,000 ex-servicemen and their family members in Kerala.

Apart from providing them healthcare facilities, the Directorate was active in securing employment avenues for them. ''We believe that 90 per cent of the re-settlement work is complete when the ex-servicemen get re-employed either in a job or in a business venture.'' UNI