Despite 24% quota, only 2% ex-servicemen in govt jobs

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 9

Even as 10 to 24.5 per cent reservation has been given to ex-servicemen in Central government jobs, their strength in the sector is just 1.94 per cent.

The situation is no different at the state level. Of the 1.22 lakh ex-servicemen registered for re-employment in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, only 2,602, or 2.13 per cent, have been given jobs.

According to the data placed by the Ministry of Defence in Parliament, the overall strength of Central government employees in various departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), banks and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is 35,34,831, out of which ex-servicemen account for 68,502. Majority of them are in Group-C and Group-D posts.

As per government rules, in Central government departments, 10 per cent direct recruitment posts up to the level of Assistant Commandant in the CAPF, 10 per cent in Group-C posts and 20 per cent in Group-D posts are reserved for ex-servicemen. In the CPSUs and nationalised banks, the reservation is 14.5 per cent in Group-C posts and 24.5 per cent in Group-D posts. States have their own reservation policies.

The ministry’s data shows that out of 60,772 ex-servicemen registered for employment in Punjab, 1,150 were employed. In Haryana, 534 out of the registered 29,275 got jobs. In Himachal Pradesh, 827 out of 15,451 were given employment, while in Jammu and Kashmir, 91 out of 16,423 were re-employed. The placement ratio was the highest in Himachal Pradesh, where 5.3 per cent ex-servicemen were given employment. At 0.55, the percentage was the lowest in Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab and Haryana were closely placed with 1.89 and 1.82 per cent, respectively.

Though provisions have been made for reserving posts for ex-servicemen in government departments, the quota seldom gets subscribed due to several factors. Overage and non-recognition of qualifications obtained from defence training establishment during service are cited to be the major reasons.

The Directorate General Resettlement runs several skill-oriented courses for defence officers as well as other ranks in management, civil aviation, IT and security to prepare them for a second career in the civil sector after retirement.