Updated: October 18, 2020 7:45:15 am
Proposals include reducing ceremonial practices such as marching bands. (Figurative)
A host of proposed measures to streamline the use of manpower, as well as financial and material resources, have been welcomed, but are creating ripples in Army circles. Because the proposals include eliminating Army Day and Army Territorial Day parades in New Delhi, reducing ceremonial practices such as marching bands and room guards, the dining room for individual officers and the CSD dining room for units at peace stations. .
These proposed measures are part of a report distributed after an internal review of existing practices. Entitled “Manpower and Resource Optimization: Review of Practices and Facilities in the Indian Army,” the exercise was conducted earlier this year. Several suggestions circulated among the main establishments, the command headquarters and the main directorates of the Army, and received a wide consensus.
The Sunday Express learned that the proposed measures include suspending the Army Day parade on January 15 and the Territorial Army Day parade on October 9.
It is proposed to reduce the number of Army bagpipe and drum bands and ensembles participating in the Republic Day parade and the Coup Retreat ceremony from 30 (15 bands and 15 bagpipes and drums) to 18 (10 bands and 8 bagpipes and drums). The reason: While in the past the number of contingents marching in the Republic Day parade had dropped from 12 to 6, there had been no corresponding decrease in the number of bands.
The proposals also state that the Vijay Divas and Kargil Vijay Divas events must be conducted with the least “fanfare”, and that while the objective is to motivate the troops, the “non-military objectives” must not be part of the events with a large number of staff committed to them. . Instead of color presentation ceremonies, which are held in various places in the country, to various regiments, it is now proposed that this event be held only once a year in Rashtrapati Bhavan and will be attended by representatives of the units to be awarded together with your Regimental Colonel.
Similarly, an investiture ceremony will be held in Delhi for honorees from army headquarters and other units based in Delhi. This will be chaired by the GOC-in-C Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army or Western Command. Also at the command level, there will only be one investiture ceremony per year.
It is proposed that the number of residential guards of generals be restricted to only 4 (one noncommissioned officer and three other ranks) and these will also be authorized only to lieutenants general and superiors according to law. When visiting other stations, only the Army Chief of Staff, the Army Deputy Chief of Staff and Army Commanders will receive residential guards if the stay is overnight.
It is proposed that the disorder of multiple officers from units permanently located in peace stations merge to form a station disorder. However, units moving from peace to tenure on the ground could retain their officers’ disorder. It is proposed to create an officers ‘board to prepare a phased plan for establishing the station officers’ mess.
Military police escorts and escorts for generals should be detained and restricted to only a few ceremonial events. The Military Police Corps will focus on maintaining discipline among the troops and controlling traffic, as well as “honing their policing skills.” No military police vehicle or escorts are proposed to escort any VIP inside military stations.
It is proposed that the motorcycle exhibition teams from the Army Service Corps Center and College, the CMP Center and School and the 1 Signal Training Center will merge into a single team at the Signal Training Center by 2022 and the rest of the teams will be disbanded by 2025.
Another proposal that has been raised is to eliminate the unit’s “room guards”, which house a large number of personnel. A ceremonial guard can be mounted there once a month and a tactical guard must be used for the rest of the time.
The cultural and dance company, traditional martial arts teams and jazz bands of the units will cease to exist. They could continue to be used as a “hobby”, restricting their activities to unity.
In addition, a unit can decide whether it wants to celebrate the Battle Honor Day or the Resurrection Day in the year; both will not be carried out. Raising Day events will also be reduced and no gift or souvenir exchange will be proposed.
As in the officers’ mess, there is a proposal to remove CSD mess rooms from individual units at one station, and combine the many mess rooms into one at peace stations, keeping accessibility in mind.
Under the new scheme of things, it will not be mandatory for units to maintain a band of tubes and drums. As of now, almost all infantry and mechanized infantry units have a medical platoon whose members are trained as gang members.
The recommendations state that there is considerable scope for optimizing the number of tubes and drums, as several of them are often in one station. It is proposed to convene a meeting of officers to identify bands for dissolution. Some infantry battalions that are not authorized bands but have them by tradition will not have to discontinue practice.
Some of the other proposed measures are the loosening of jaws from units to higher headquarters, the outsourcing of Diwali Melas and the scrapping of archaic practices from the office.
A senior officer at Army headquarters said most responses have been positive and he supports the proposals. “A final call on the proposals will be taken at the Army Commanders Conference which is scheduled to take place later this month in New Delhi,” the officer said.
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