Civilians and young working professionals will be inducted into the Indian Army, if the proposal to facilitate the same by the think tanks of India’s premier land defence force falls into place.

Top commanders of the Indian Army, in consultation with the defence think tank are considering a proposal of allowing civilians and young working professionals to join the Indian Army for a three year period.  This tenure will be for officers as well as for other ranks in varied domains like logistics and front line formations.

This transformational move will be in place once the proposal goes through in the name of Tour of Duty. The main aim of this move is to bring people closer to the million plus armed force by giving them an opportunity to explore and experience military life.

The minute details of the proposal are being worked out and it will be a voluntary engagement without any dilution to selection criteria, which includes fitness and age as the key criteria.  This will be a Tour of Duty or Three Year Short Service scheme.

As per the same sources, the Army is also looking at inducting personnel from central armed forces and paramilitary forces into the Army for a short duration, of maximum 7 years, after which they will be allowed to return to their parent establishment, this time with grounded military training and culture a part of their overall personality. This move is being planned under the Inverse Induction Model.

Sources also indicate that this move is an outcome of the resurgence of nationalism and patriotism in the country, the feeling of which can be tapped into.  Youth who want to experience the military life for a temporary duration, without necessarily making it a full time career option, will have a safe bet under this arrangement.

At present, the Army recruits young people under short service commission for an initial tenure of 10 years which is extendable up to 14 years.

Young working professionals would be allowed to apply under ToD. A stint in the Army  will also be advantageous in landing a good corporate or government job, as this short term training will show visible improvement in self-confidence, team work, responsibility, initiative and stress management.

According to the proposal, the people to be recruited under the ToD will be eligible to be deployed as combatants in key forward locations and there will be no restrictions in their roles.

"Initial survey tells that all corporates would favour an individual who has been trained by military and comes to them at 26/27 years of age rather than a raw college graduates at 22/23 years of age,"

The sources quoting an internal study said the Army would gain significant financial benefit from the ToD scheme as it will save a huge amount of money on gratuity, severance packages, leave encashment and pension.