Ex-servicemen; India's latest HR pool

Guwahati, May 23 (UNI) The large pool of ex-servicemen could very well be India's solution to its woes of unskilled human resource if the Defence Ministry's plans of enhancing employability of retired personnel through special training garners the expected response.

Last year, the ministry had targeted re-employment of about 40,000 retired servicemen through special training and ended up finding jobs for 65,000, Minister of State for Defence M M Palam Raju said here today.

''The country has over 20 lakh ex-servicemen, with 60,000 retiring annually,'' Mr Raju said. He was in the city to inaugurate a two-day Defence Pension Adalat at the Narengi Military station here.

Emphasising on the need to utilise this large 'skilled and disciplined workforce', the minister pointed that with specialised training, which the Defence Ministry was providing through its Resettlement Wing, would see the emergence of this large human resource poll as sought-after employees, both in the government and private sector.

He was also emphatic on ensuring employability of retired personnel and was keen to designing their training to make them sustainable in today's world.

Mr Raju informed that the Director-General of Resettlement (DGR) was preparing a database of all ex-servicemen, with their special skills and all details, to identify them for suitable employment by the government and also in the private sector.

The private sector was enthusiastic in recruiting x-servicemen and the latter's role was not limited to be security guards only, he added.

''Ex-servicemen are being sought after in various sectors like services, retail, private,'' he said.

On the retired personnel re-employment in the defence services, Mr Raju said they were being recruited for the Border Roads Organisation, NCC and allied sections.

Their recruitment for counter-insurgency operations in Assam was also welcomed by him.

The state has about 70,000 ex-servicemen, with the North-East region accounting for 2 lakh retired personnel.

On the new pension benefits and redressal of complaints by pensioners, Mr Raju said the ministry was playing a pro-active role and complaints were being disposed off quickly and efficiently.

The ministry was also looking over the fact that the retired personnel were not deprived of any benefit, he added.

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