The Indian Army’s Short Service Commission (SSC) will now be made longer in the hope of making it more attractive. The government is actively considering a proposal to give SSC officers the option of working for 18 years. The move is also aimed at addressing the problem of a shortage of officers, particularly in the lower ranks. The tenure of SSC officers at the moment is 10 years, which is extendable by four years. The army will now give these officers an option of re- employment for another four years. Through the new initiative, an SSC officer will have the choice to remain in service for 18 years.
After re- employment, the officer will continue to enjoy the same rank and respect but with a downgraded pay- scale as is the standard norm. Most of the Short Service Officers retire at the rank of lieutenant colonel. They are not eligible for post- retirement benefits, which can be availed only after completing 20 years of service. The shortage of officers has been a major problem in the armed forces. The Army was short of 8,544 officers as of January 1. The shortfall in the other ranks was 16,597 as on April 1, 2014. The shortage of officers has been decreasing steadily in the past four years because of the introduction of several measures. Extending the tenure of SSC officers from 10 to 14 years was one such move.
Most of the shortage of officers is in the junior ranks while the higher ranks are witnessing stagnation. Apart from extending the tenure of service to 18 years, the government is considering other proposals like granting post- retirement benefits to SSC officers. The SSC scheme had lost his sheen in the absence of post employment benefits. One measure in making the service more attractive is allowing women officers to command units. This is also a step in the direction of giving permanent commission to SSC officers.
Several SSC officers have struggled to get employment after leaving the army. The common refrain is that somebody who has given his prime years for the nation should be adequately compensated and rehabilitated. An officer usually has to start from scratch in the civil world after hanging up the uniform, which is not an easy task as most of the officers lack specialisation. Even within the army, there have been complaints that SSC officers face discrimination in day-to-day functioning and many commanding officers treat them differently.
The entire SSC scheme is on the verge of collapse and it was crucial to resurrect it, sources said.
Source: India Today
