The Hindu : Ex-servicemen seek probe into recruitment drive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Ex-servicemen seek probe into recruitment drive

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, JAN. 17. The general secretary of the National Ex-Servicemen Co-ordination Committee (Kerala), K.P. Sayedalavi, has demanded a detailed investigation into the alleged recruitment of ex-servicemen by the private recruiting agency. The ex-servicemen, reportedly recruited for working in Kuwait, were meant to be transferred to Iraq.

As India had denounced the U.S. occupation of Iraq and refused to send troops to assist the U.S. forces there, the ex-servicemen should desist from any effort to join them, he said.

Mr. Sayedalavi said the recruiting agency was understood to have offered $1,000-2,500 as emoluments to the selected candidates. It would have to be examined if any of the recruited ex-servicemen had left the armed services during the last two years as such personnel would require the Government's permission for employment.

Kerala has more than 50,000 ex-servicemen at present, with another 6,000 being added every year. The State Government was not providing reservation for ex-servicemen in State recruitments, he said.

This could have also contributed to the problem, according to him.

Enquiries revealed that the ex-servicemen could opt for any assignment of their choice even after being enrolled at the District Sainik Board functioning under the Directorate General Resettlement, Ministry of Defence.

The Directorate, looking after the welfare of ex-servicemen, had been conducting various training courses aimed at resettling the latter through self-employment as well as by taking up new occupations. Of late, Tata Infotech and CMC Limited had come forward to provide training to ex-servicemen.