Army and development of remote areas (English Version) Rakshak News 14 Mar 18
The army chief, General Bipin Rawat, stated in a seminar recently that the army plays a significant role in nation building. He added that a reasonable part of the defence budget is employed for development and providing facilities in remote areas. In most border regions, it is the army alone, which is closer to the locals living there, hence provides employment, facilities and security. The army’s contribution to national development cannot be glossed over.
A nation only develops once its security including that of its institutions are ensured. Late president Abdul Kalam had stated while addressing graduating cadets from the Indian Military Academy, ‘National security and development go hand in hand.’ The strong deployment of the armed forces ensuring that threats from abroad are minimized and they remain apolitical enables internal development. This is the reason, why only India in the subcontinent has attracted maximum investment and has developed far more rapidly than any of its neighbours.
Internally, the army is deployed in the remotest corners of the nation. For the army to be sustained, there must be multiple communication means developed, which simultaneously assists the population residing in the region. The army also needs to ensure that local population are not influenced by enemies of the state, therefore provides them with additional facilities including establishing schools, local development and medical care. It organizes ‘Sadbhavna’ tours for residents of remote localities, exposing them to development in the rest of the country, making them proud citizens who can always hope for a brighter future.
It was only the army run ‘goodwill schools’ which functioned without a break throughout the period of agitations in Kashmir. Most of the assistance and facilities which the army provides in remote areas come from its own internal resources, with contribution from states being bare minimum. Most of the local produce of the region is purchased by the army, thus providing a regular source of revenue to the locals.
It remains in many cases the sole employer of the local population for multifarious roles. Many are employed as porters for maintaining posts not linked by surface transport, maintenance of the cantonments and other tasks. In most regions of the North East, troops move out regularly on long patrols, porters for which are from the local population. Thus, the binding which the army has with residents is closer than that of the state government.
In areas where the borders are tense, mainly in J and K, it is the army which provides shelter to the local populace as also medical aid when any of them are injured. There have been reports of army helicopters being pressed to shift injured villagers to hospitals. Medical camps are also a regular feature in the region. During natural calamities, including the earthquake in J and K or the floods and mudslides in the North East, the army is always the first responder, providing succour to the local population and subsequently assisting in reconstruction.
In J and K, army launched programs in remote regions have immense participation. These include inter-village sporting, musical and other knowledge sharing and advisory events. Even the youth, which in cities may resort to stone pelting, attend in large numbers and participate with vigour. In none army conducted events are there ever anti-national slogans raised or the army criticized.
In the remote areas of the North East, the army remains more visible and supportive than any government agency, hence has earned the respect and goodwill of the local populace. Thus, there is a stellar role played by the army in binding the public residing in areas where across the border influence could be detrimental to national security. It has ensured that the residents of the region maintain strong national bonding.
The defence budget also caters for a revenue section, which involves large scale purchases to sustain the daily needs of the armed forces. These may not always be warlike stores or equipment. Such stores are procured from the domestic market, adding to the national economy. Therefore, in brief the armed forces return a large part of the budget back to nation.
The Indian army other than ensuring national security by its strong deployment along the borders is also involved in nation building and integrating remote parts of the country into the mainstream. It is this role which has helped it win hearts and minds of the local populace. With a large part of its budget being ploughed back into the economy, the armed forces are not ‘white elephants’ being maintained by the state, but active contributors to national development.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army