The Indian Defence Minister has recently given the green light to a proposal for the abolition of numerous roles within the Military Engineering Service (MES). This move aligns with the suggestions put forward by the Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar (Retd.) Committee. MES is responsible for infrastructure development in the armed forces and defence establishments.
Optimum Utilisation of Resources
The plan to abolish around 9000 posts of basic and industrial staff aims to result in significant financial savings. Currently, roughly 70% of the budget goes towards salaries and allowances, which leaves minimal funds for the actual development of infrastructure.
Workforce Restructuring
The committee has also suggested that the civilian workforce be restructured so that part of the MES’s duties could be carried out by departmental personnel, whilst other tasks could be outsourced.
Creating an Effective, Lean Workforce
The ultimate goal is to transform the MES into an effective institution with a lean workforce, whilst ensuring it retains the ability to handle intricate issues in an efficient and budget-friendly manner.
Projected Savings
The implementation of these recommendations could lead to savings of up to ₹25,000 crore in defence expenditure over the next five years. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India was the third-highest military spender in 2019, following the US and China.
About the Shekatkar Committee
The Shekatkar Committee is an 11-member group that was put together by the former Defence Minister in mid-2016 and is headed by Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar (Retd). They were tasked with proposing measures to increase combat capability and rebalance defence spending of the armed forces. The committee presented its report in December 2016.
Key Recommendations
In total, the committee made 99 suggestions ranging from optimizing the defence budget to the requirement for a Chief of the Defence Staff. Of these, the first 65 recommendations relating to the Army were approved in August 2017.
A New Military Training Approach
The committee also proposed the establishment of a Joint Services War College for training middle-level officers. They suggested having three separate war colleges in Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), Secunderabad (Telangana), and Goa, with a focus on training younger officers.
Military Intelligence School Transformation
There was also a proposal for the Military Intelligence School at Pune to transition into a tri-service intelligence training establishment. The ideas to create a Chief of Defence Staff role and a Department of Military Affairs have already been implemented.
Army Headquarters Restructuring
The Army headquarters initiated four studies that aim to increase the operational and functional efficiency of the force, optimize budget spending, aid modernization, and address aspirations.
Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) Model
In this model, government-owned assets are managed by private industries. The primary advantage of this system is its efficiency and it encourages competitiveness among private entities.
Closure of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments
Additional recommendations suggested the shutdown of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments in peace locations.
Other Implemented Recommendations
Other proposals that have been implemented include optimization of signals establishments, restructuring of repair units, redeployment of ordnance echelons, better utilization of supply and transportation units and animal transport entities.