Army will continue to play a Pivotal Role in the India's Nation Building
Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM PallamRaju has said that the Army has
always in the past and also in the future will continue to play a pivotal
role in the nation building and for that it must emerge as a national
symbol and represent the nation’s unique characteristics which is ‘Unity in
Diversity’.
Delivering Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture on ‘Army’s
Contribution to Nation Building – The Way Ahead’ here today, Dr.Raju said
the military virtues of sacrifice, loyalty and discipline have always
remained and must serve as objects of veneration for the rest of the nation.
Following is the text of the speech delivered by the Minister :
"I am deeply honoured to be invited to deliver this year’s Field Marshal
Cariappa Memorial Lecture on the occasion of Infantry Day to such a
distinguished audience. I consider it a privilege, because it gives me an
opportunity to pay homage to the memory of one of the most distinguished
Military leaders of our country.
Field Marshal Cariappa, the first Commander-in-chief of the Indian Army,
laid the foundation of India’s Army on the cherished ideals of our leaders
at the time of Independence, as also the collective wisdom of the Armed
forces. These ideals have since long remained the corner stone of Nation
Building , and the armed forces have proved to be amongst the most
important national institutions ensuring security of the nation so that we
could transform our country into a democratic and plural society.
Therefore, none other than the topic for today’s lecture could have been
more apt to pay homage to Field Marshal Cariappa, because after taking over
the reins as the first Chief of Army of Modern India he not only taught the
Indian Army to be apolitical but was a firm believer that Indian Army will
continue to play a pivotal role towards Nation building. Today I intend to
re-emphasise the same belief of his and their continued relevance as India
shapes its destiny as it increasingly gains greater stature in the comity
of Nations.
Firstly, what does Nation Building imply? Originally, nation-building
referred to the efforts of newly-independent nations, notably the nations
of Asia and Africa, to reshape territories that had been carved out by
colonial powers or Empires without regard to ethnic, religious, or other
boundaries. These reformed states later on became viable and coherent
national entities because of their nation building efforts aimed at
establishing a national identity for themselves. This was needed to be
deliberately constructed by moulding different ethnic groups into a nation,
especially since in many newly established states colonial practices of
divide and rule had resulted in ethnically heterogeneous populations.
Today in a globalized and interdependent world Nation-building has become
even more relevant. Nation states are political units in an international
system and they represent the citizens aspiration to be grouped in a single
political unit that would in turn act as an instrument to achieve, life,
liberty and pursuit of happiness. So the process of Nation Building by any
nation aims at the unification of the people within the state so that it
remains politically stable and viable in the long run.
The 21st century looks towards security, justice, economic development and
a democratic polity as the pillars of nation building. Security comes first
in the pecking order because the other three pillars function effectively
only if the security threshold on the nation, both internal and external,
remains intact. This in turn facilitates smooth functioning of democracy
and brings in its wake social justice and economic development.
Unfortunately, in states where the roots of democracy are not firmly
embedded, security becomes a victim of inefficient, parochial and dithering
attitudes that form the essence of the difficult business that defines
democracy. This in turn opens windows of opportunity to the armed forces to
take over the reins of governance. In the Indian sub-continent, the armies
of some states littoral to India have, instead of providing the security
umbrella to their countries, exploited the system to seize power and have
effectively stagnated the flow of the polity towards democracy.
In India, democracy however tenuous, has managed to hold and the
constitution as initially introduced continues to be sacrosanct. This has
been facilitated, by no small measure, by the armed forces who have
maintained, most scrupulously, the ideals enshrined in the constitution and
have made a great contribution towards nourishment of democracy in the
nation. The strength of the armed forces lies in their high standards of
discipline and morale supported by a secular outlook and an apolitical
demeanour. They have, in the highest spirit of nationalism, stepped forward
to face all challenges posed to the nation and have been a pillar of
support to the people who look up to them in times of crisis. The
capability of the nation to maintain its most significant pillar of
security, has contributed significantly to the progress that it has
recorded post-independence.
Economic interdependence among India’s varied regions has undoubtedly made
considerable progress and can surely be cited as contemporary India’s prime
achievement. Economic interdependence has also brought in its wake economic
integration and is therefore one of the enduring foundations of the Indian
nation state. How strong then is the Indian nation state today?
Undoubtedly, India’s progress has been considerable. Politically, the
nation has demonstrated that it is a stable and indeed a vibrant
parliamentary democracy. Economically, we are the second fastest growing
nation in the world. Cultural integration has made progress and is
definitely oriented in a positive direction. Social integration is however
still a distant goal and its conflicts manifested in religious
fundamentalism, caste and the ever-growing gap between the `haves’ and the
`have-nots’ is certainly a cause for concern. However when viewed in the
historical perspective and the global context, the problems, deficiencies
and inadequacies are transient and inherent to the stage of development
that India is passing through. The Armed Forces with their ingrained spirit
of Nationhood can certainly play a significant role in fostering the spirit
of ‘inclusive growth’ as enunciated by Government.
After Independence, the Indian nation inherited a battle experienced and an
apolitical force. It played virtually no role in the freedom struggle and
though at partition it was deprived of nearly one third of its manpower and
assets, it played a commendable role during the horrendous communal
violence that was witnessed at partition. It was also immediately involved
in defending Kashmir and its performance was no less commendable. Since
independence the army has fought four major wars with Pakistan and one with
China. It was also involved in Hyderabad, Junagadh and Goa to facilitate
their entry into the Indian Union. The army has also been involved
extensively in internal security duties including fighting insurgencies in
J&K and North East States. The military has also always played an intensive
role in human assistance and disaster relief in various parts of the nation
in the direst of circumstances and at all times.
In India, though the military forces are a substantially big institution,
it has so far played no role as an institutional power group in the
country’s politics. The military forces have in fact steadfastly remained
loyal to the elected government and been its obedient servant. In
comparison to other developing countries, it can now be very safely
concluded that it is because of this non-role in politics by the military
forces of India that the nation has been able to establish and maintain its
democratic foundations. This non-role in governance has helped the Indian
military to achieve a high degree of professionalism and concentrate its
efforts on readying itself for its main task of defence of the country. The
military however plays its traditional role for rendering advice on matters
concerning national security.
The Indian military has always devoted itself to being able to successfully
carry out any of the roles that the elected government has allotted to it.
The prime and major role is clear--defend the nation against its potential
enemies. This per se is not a nation building function but it is the
absolute pre-requisite for nation building. To fulfil this primary role,
the requirement is that the armed forces are in readiness to defend the
nation at all times. In a rapidly changing security matrix this role of the
Armed Forces needs to be further strengthened.
The Armed Forces have been a symbol of unity and secularism through
turbulent times faced by the country and have fostered the spirit of
One-India, like no other organ of the state. Be it the sectarian clashes,
terrorism or insurgency, the Armed Forces in general and the Army in
particular have maintained their ethos; an ethos that has proved to be a
strong fabric for National Integration.
The Army continues to play a critical role in bringing peace to regions
where misguided youth choose to take up arms against the nation. This
onerous responsibility has been undertaken by the army with utmost
responsibility and maturity. Not only have many areas been rid of violence
and fear of terrorism, succour has also been provided by undertaking
extensive public support programmes like Operation Sadbhavana and Operation
Samaritan. From building of roads, schools, public health facilities,
vocational facilities, sporting facilities and provisioning essential
supplies, the army has been at the forefront of nation building in these
troubled areas. I shall also seek to highlight some of the other
significant areas where the Indian Armed forces play a stellar role in
Nation building and where in the coming years there portends a larger role
for them in shaping the destiny of India, a Nation with a young demographic
profile and an increasingly aware and aspirational young population.
The army has also been at the forefront of helping build the country
through developmental initiatives. Amongst some of the most important
contributions to the task of nation building, has been the untiring efforts
of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in connecting the far flung areas of
the country with the national mainstream. Areas which were considered
distant and desolate are very much a part of the network of roads created
by BRO. Working in the most difficult and harshest of conditions, the
efforts put in by these dedicated men of the BRO have linked the hearts of
the people of the country through thousands of kilometers of roads paved
and maintained despite life threatening conditions. Peering into the
future, the task ahead is colossal and requires a great deal of focus,
resources and disciplined manpower to execute this humongous task that
shall shape the infrastructure in the remotest and inaccessible parts of
the country.
The Territorial Army has contributed immensely to the task of nation
building through the years. These battalions have assisted in securing
vital interests in threatened regions. They have undertaken re-forestation
initiatives and have transformed large swathes of land which had been
ravaged by natural and man-made disasters. The home and hearth battalions
have been at the forefront of soldiering in some of the most sensitive
areas of the country. They have not only fought against difficult military
odds, but have also provided a helping hand to the local administration,
helping bring peace and stability in their areas of responsibility.
A more visible manifestation of the army’s nation-building role is the
National Cadet Corps. It is engaged in grooming the youth, imbibing in them
the qualities of discipline, selfless service and the spirit of
nationalism. All the ideals that shape our forces are instilled in the
young minds to develop their character, through qualities like comradeship,
discipline, leadership, secular outlook, spirit of adventure and ideals of
selfless service. This according to me is and shall remain a core activity
for the times to come that shall shape the value system of the future
generations and hence has a direct bearing on the moral quotient of the
nation building effort!
The military due to its functional impera¬tives is a centralised
organisation, hierarchical structure, with stress on discipline and
leadership. It thus becomes an ideal organisation where national policies
can easily be implemented and nourished. The direct consequences of
military service are manifold. The soldier is trained, disciplined and has
a character that bravely faces the challenges of life. In service, he
serves as an obedient soldier that specializes in the application of force.
It is in his utility after service that the military can contribute to
nation building. So far, the ex-serviceman’s qualitative contribution to
civilian life, by way of invigorating its culture and character and their
quantitative contribution especially to rural economy is something which
has not been assessed so far. But significant though this contribution is,
it is only a very small part of the contribution they can make to national
economy if their services are utilized in agriculture and industry in an
organized manner. This highly disciplined and patriotic human resource
should be utilised in the capacity building efforts of the nation in
various spheres through a focussed approach to employable training and
other vocational skillsets that can be leveraged for the nation building
effort. There is also immense scope in deploying this manpower in playing
an integral role in the harmonising of efforts of Government, NGOs and CSR
activities towards improving the quantitative and qualitative deliverables
at the ground level.
A nation such as ours with its diverse internal and external threats calls
for a higher degree of operational preparedness and armaments and
capabilities that can be optimally acquired given the restricted amounts
that we spend on Defence due to the various economic and social challenges
that are inherent to our nation. There are no runners up in war. It is
therefore axiomatic that we seek the best capabilities and technology for
our armed forces. We started with nearly no capability of indigenised
capacities and yet we were confronted with conflict at the outset of our
journey as an independent country. As a country we created a capability
through our Defence Public Sector Undertakings and Ordnance Factories. The
Defence Research Development Organisation brought about the scientific
support. We all realize that the permeation of technology is not
constrained by ownership and spreads its reach to all areas of human
endeavour. Therefore it goes without saying that the spin off effect of
this process towards many aspects of nation building has been immense.
Looking ahead the trends are obvious that the Defence Industrial base would
be further strengthened with wider participation by the vibrant private
sector enterprise of the nation. Here again there is a greater need for the
armed forces to work in close coordination in leveraging all the
capabilities towards our security and Defence preparedness. Our indigenous
efforts have indeed yielded results in increasing the nation’s
self-reliance but there is a case to do much more by harmonising the
efforts of all the stake holders.
The military organisation by virtue of its inherent disciplined and
cen¬tralised nature can act as a vast model of national development. This
serves to project the image of the military as a national organisation that
embodies the aspiration of its citizens and in whose effectiveness the
nation is fully confident. It thus ensures the prime requirement of
existence: security, on a planet so easily vulnerable to strife and
insecurity.
In the ultimate analysis the contribution of the Indian military to the
nation building process is dependent on its quality of leadership. As it
happens in all democratic countries with a volunteer military force, a
situation has developed primarily due to the various other attractive
options thrown up by a growing economy, where the military is finding it
difficult to attract youth of the requisite quality needed to officer the
fourth largest military force in the world. This phenome-non poses a
problem vis-a-vis the quality of leadership. Therefore a conscious push is
needed to attract the right kind of talent and human resource to the Armed
forces.
The military by itself is also in a process of transformation and
development along with the rest of the nation. The change however has to be
deliberate and carried out after visualising its long term implications.
The relationship between officers and other ranks should adjust to change
in the socio-economic scenario of the country. The growing levels of
education and increasing awareness of the enlisted man call for dynamic
qualities of leadership and man management. This is a major 'in house'
problem of the military that has to be tackled. Nothing can be
accom¬plished by the military institution, in any role, if the leadership
is weak. With growth in regional and communal tendencies in the country,
the need for insulating the military forces against them cannot be over
emphasised. It will require a motivated leadership, to be able to prevent
subver¬sion of its personnel.
It is apparent that the military’s role in nation building is inherent in
the fulfil-ment of its primary function. The spin-offs from the role are
many and varied with a fairly extensive coverage. Democracy can only
flourish with strong military forces which are under civilian control. This
has been accepted and was never questioned by the military leader¬ship.
However problems of civil-military relations have and still exist in the
nation. But these are problems that are inherent in the democratic
structure of the country and call for a mature Military leadership to
ensure that such matters do not prove to be detrimental to the larger
cause. Parallelly, civilian leadership should realise that there is an
increasing need to leverage and integrate the rich wisdom of military
experience of our Armed forces in the Nation’s Management, Governance and
Diplomacy.
To conclude I would once again like to re-emphasise the beliefs of Field
Marshal Cariappa ,that the Army has always in the past and also in the
future will continue to play a pivotal role in the Nation Building and for
that it must emerge as a national symbol that represents the nation's
unique characteristic which is "Unity in Diversity". The military virtues
of sacrifice, loyalty and discipline have always remained and must serve as
objects of veneration for the rest of the nation."
Received on Tue Oct 16 2012 - 15:14:13 EDT
