Indian Army asks jawans to take up social service, promote govt schemes while on leave

Indian Army's local formations have been informed to provide the jawans on leave with literature for having meaningful conversation with the locals.

In a bid to contribute to nation-building, the Indian Army is motivating its jawans to take up social service during their leaves, reported Hindustan Times, and a wide variety of activities have been suggested for the same.

The activities suggested by the Army include raising awareness among locals about government schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and educating primary school students on various subjects, ranging from road safety to cleanliness, the report said.

"It is recommended that every soldier proceeding on leave volunteers to choose any subject based on his interest and the need of his local community and engages citizens, making an individual contribution to the Army’s nation-building effort," a letter addressed to all command headquarters had said in May.

Th letter further states, "Every soldier possesses unique individual qualities and skill sets, the Army’s human resource pool has a pan-India footprint, they are from diverse areas and communities with the majority hailing from a rural background; and this connect with society can be meaningfully leveraged for augmenting nation-building efforts."

However, the letter had also raised concerns about whether the jawans, who often serve in tough border conditions, will have time to spare for such activities.

The letter said, "While the objective of granting leave to soldiers is to allow them to spend time with their families and address other personal commitments, there is adequate scope to engage with the local communities too".

“Soldiers should and do contribute to nation-building and the well-being of their local communities. However, it is critical that the district administration and police show empathy and address the many issues faced by them and resolve their grievances. This will allow them to devote more time and energy to the desired social service,” Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a military affairs expert, was quoted as saying by HT.

The Indian Army's local formations have been asked to provide jawans on leave with literature for having meaningful conversation with locals, the official said. Already, the Army Training Camp in Shimla is compiling material which jawans can carry with them while performing social service.

"The soldiers have a unique perspective of the country as they have served across it, and this puts them in a position to contribute towards nation building and national integration," officials were quoted as saying.