Source: wechat official account: authorized daily Yijian
Indians like to be soldiers, very, very much.
According to incomplete statistics, 80% of young people in India regard becoming a soldier as their first dream.
But Indians who like to be soldiers so much recently broke out large-scale protests in order not to be soldiers.
They burned trains, smashed stations, blocked roads, and clashed with the police, resulting in one death and 15 injuries
How about that? Do you think it’s hard to understand?
Indians who like to be soldiers burn the train in order not to be soldiers. Is this too contradictory?
Do they want to be soldiers, or do they not want to be soldiers?
We have to look at this in two. First of all, we need to find out why India is so keen on becoming a soldier. Even the first dream of 80% of young people in the country is not to become a doctor or a lawyer, but to become a soldier.
Is it true that Indians are so patriotic and eager to join the military camp and serve their country?
Of course not.
First of all, India has always implemented the conscription system since the founding of the people’s Republic of China. Like you go out to find a job, you are not forced at all. You join the army voluntarily. Then both parties sign a contract. The state will pay you wages on time every month according to your rank.
In India, being a soldier is not sacred at all, but a profession and a means of making a living.
In India, the army, for example, has 16 ranks ranging from 3 to 18 according to rank. Newly recruited soldiers have the lowest rank, with a monthly salary of 21700 rupees, or about 2170 yuan. In addition, there are various transportation, plateau, training and other subsidies. They can actually get 30000 to 40000 rupees a month, equivalent to 3000-4000 yuan.
Such a level of income, in the Indian society where the average wage is only more than 1000 yuan, is already above the middle level.
Moreover, the service life of Indian soldiers is very long. The longest service life of ordinary soldiers is 17 years, the service life of non commissioned officers can reach 21-28 years, and that of warrant officers is 26-33 years. They can retire at the age of 52 at most.
As long as we do not make mistakes in the barracks, it is common for a recruit in his twenties to go in and retire as a lieutenant in his fifties.
Moreover, the benefits they enjoy after retirement are quite good. There are six types of retirement benefits alone, including service pension, ordinary family pension, special pension, freedom pension, disability pension and war disability pension.
If you are lucky enough to become an officer, after you retire, you and your family members can enjoy all-weather outpatient and inpatient treatment in the military hospital, free of charge.
Not only that, the Indian government has also set up a “prime minister scholarship” to support retired officers to improve their professional skills and education. In terms of housing, the central and federal governments of India will provide certain house purchase support and policy subsidies to retired officers
Having said so much, you should understand?
In India, as long as you become a soldier, you will have a golden rice bowl. You will have no need to worry about food and clothing in your life.
Therefore, this is why the vast majority of young people in India regard becoming a soldier as their first dream.
For the sake of money, generous treatment and the golden rice bowl until retirement, under the impact of the epidemic, the unemployment rate of people aged 15 to 29 has been above 20% for a long time. Of course, young people are flocking to it.
See here, then the problem comes.
Since Indians like to be soldiers so much and are eager to be soldiers, why do they burn the train in order not to be soldiers?
Next, I will explain why Indians don’t want to be soldiers.
In fact, this statement is not accurate. The complete statement should be: Indians are dissatisfied with the current conscription system and do not want to be soldiers now.
The reason is that on June 14, the Indian Ministry of defense released the latest conscription plan – “the road of fire”.
Among them, the Indian government has carried out a drastic reform of the conscription system.
It is mainly divided into the following points:
1. The age threshold has been lowered. Indian men and women aged 17 and a half to 21 can join the army.
2. The service period is revised to 4 years.
3. Only a quarter of the people can remain in the army after the expiration of their military service. The remaining 75% of soldiers will receive a one-time subsidy at the end of their four-year service, and then be forced to retire without pension benefits.
The length of service has been greatly shortened, and the benefits have been basically cancelled. Only one-time subsidies can be obtained when I retire from the army. I checked the specific amount, and it was only 117100 rupees, almost 10000 yuan.
This is nothing. The most important thing is that at the end of four years, 75% of the people will be kicked out of the barracks.
This one is the most deadly.
Because no one can guarantee that they will not become the 75%.
In order not to be 75% of those kicked out of the barracks, everyone will try their best to bribe Shangguan and please the person who has the right to decide whether to stay in the barracks.
Indian politics is inherently corrupt. In this way, there will be a lot of room for power rent-seeking.
You said you wanted to stay in the barracks and continue to serve, didn’t you? OK, take 100000 rupees, which is equivalent to your salary for two and a half months. As long as you give me the money, I will let you stay. Otherwise, you will go away and become the 75%.
In order to continue to be a soldier, to continue to enjoy the salary of 30000 to 40000 rupees a month, as well as a lot of welfare and medical treatment after retirement, every soldier will not hesitate to take out this money to bribe Shangguan.
You offered 100000 rupees, I also offered 100000 rupees, and the children of Lao Wang’s family next door also offered 100000 rupees. Finally, who would Shangguan choose among the three of us?
I’m sorry, he won’t choose anyone. He will let us continue to pay. The one with the highest price will get it.
I don’t know whether the specific offer is 300000 rupees, one year’s salary, or onemillion rupees, three years’ salary.
But I only know one thing: the final bid must be the 75% of the people. In any case, I can’t afford to smash and sell iron.
This means that a few rich people will completely rob the majority of poor people of their right to be soldiers.
Who likes to be a soldier most in India?
Of course, they are poor. The more they have no money, the more they like to be soldiers.
Moreover, India is a caste society with a strict hierarchy from top to bottom.
The first caste is the Brahmin, mainly the monks and nobles, who hold the religious theocracy and are responsible for monopolizing culture and education, reporting on agricultural seasons and interpreting religious discourse.
The second kind of caste is the sadiri, the military aristocracy and the administrative aristocracy. They are also the audience of Brahman thought. They have the privilege of collecting various taxes. They are in charge of the political army and are responsible for guarding the Brahman class from generation to generation.
The above two castes are the upper class of India, and the lower class can’t surpass them, let alone intermarriage.
The third caste is the Barker, mainly ordinary Aryans. They are mainly engaged in farming and commerce. They have no political privileges, but they can be self-sufficient. Life is generally no problem.
The fourth caste, sudara, is overwhelmingly a conquered aboriginal. It belongs to non Aryan people, mainly slaves and handicraftsmen. It usually serves the upper class and cooks. This is also the most populous caste in India.
In addition to the four major castes, there are also a large number of “fifth castes”, which are called “untouchables”, or “untouchables”. They are Dalits, and their occupations are more humble. This caste also has 160million people. However, in India, Untouchables are not human, so they are not worthy to enter the four major castes.
The following is a structural diagram of the human body, from which we can clearly understand the status of these major castes in India.
It is precisely because of the existence of the caste system that noble people in India are born noble and engage in decent jobs; Low castes are born low and can only be regarded as low and dirty jobs.
Therefore, in the civilian class in India, especially the Dali special class in India, the military is a very popular profession, which is also the only way for them to change their destiny.
Whenever the Indian army starts conscription, a large number of young Indians will come to join it. Every year, when recruiting, we can see the news of stampede accidents caused by too many people joining the army.
Now, the service period has been shortened, which means that the rising channel of being a soldier will become very narrow.
In addition, only one fourth of them will stay after the expiration of four years. Who do you think will stay at that time?
Of course, those rich high caste people can not only become officers, but also take away all the opportunities for the bottom people to change their fate.
Therefore, dissatisfaction with the conscription system and the oppression of living space by the caste system broke out at this moment.
A large number of young people in India went to the railway station to smash it, sat on the tracks to protest, burned the train and threw stones at the residences of government officials.
According to statistics, in the past week, hundreds of thousands of young people in India have taken to the streets, and there is a growing trend.
Since the young people in India are so dissatisfied and excited, why should the Indian government risk universal condemnation to reform the conscription system?
Because reform does have great benefits.
First, the army should be younger.
After the reform of the conscription system, the service period of newly recruited soldiers has been shortened from the original 17 years to four years, which is equivalent to the “major exchange of blood” of the Indian army every four years, greatly improving the degree of youth.
The Indian chief of staff said that if the reform can take effect, the average age of the Indian army will be from 32 to 26.
Young people learn everything quickly, manage well, and are obedient. Instead of spending a lot of money to support those veterans, it is better to replace a group of young people who are willing to learn and work hard, learn new technologies, and improve their combat effectiveness.
This is similar to many domestic Internet companies, which always like to lay off employees over the age of 35.
The second point is to hide soldiers from the people.
It has to be said that the Indian government is very farsighted. Once a war breaks out with a big country in the north in the future, they can quickly mobilize these veterans in the country.
In wartime, retired soldiers are the army’s reserves. After a little training, they can be directly put into the battlefield. There is no need to recruit recruits who don’t know anything and can’t even pull a gun.
India wants to shorten the service life of soldiers, so that more Indians can be armed and become skilled veterans after a few years in the army, so as to greatly enhance the national defense force, that is, hiding soldiers from the people.
In fact, our country has already implemented this. China implements a military service system that combines voluntary and compulsory military service with voluntary military service as the main body.
The compulsory military service system is a conscription system. There are two conscripts and two retirements a year.
The voluntary military service system is the conscription system, in which citizens are recruited to the military on a voluntary basis and sign service contracts with the military.
Our country is more farsighted than India, and has implemented the conscription system of combining these two systems long ago. Therefore, it can not only hide soldiers from the people, but also ensure the high quality of the army with the emergence of professional soldiers.
To be honest, it is a little late for India to engage in Tibetan soldiers for the people.
OK, go on.
The third and most important advantage of the reform of India’s conscription system is to save money!
You know, India’s military expenditure ranks third in the world after the United States and China. In 2021 alone, they spent $76.6 billion.
Although there is so much money, half of the 76.6 billion US dollars are used to pay military salaries and pensions, and the funds for weapons procurement and modernization are very limited.
It is no wonder that after more than 20 years of drumming and agitation in India, the first self-made aircraft carrier “viklant” was launched for the first time, and a water intrusion event occurred. Later, after testing, it was found that there were more than 300 cracks in the hull of the aircraft carrier…
After all, they still have so many troops to support, so many people to eat, bicycles? What kind of bike do you want.
It would be nice if the Indian aircraft carrier could be launched. Smoke if smoke. Rest assured, we have received professional training, so we won’t laugh at you unless we really can’t help it…
It is precisely because of these three advantages that Indian Prime Minister modi has made up his mind to carry out the reform of the conscription system.
Another reason is that modi once had a very successful reform experience. At the beginning of taking office in 2014, modi asked to close all the farms operated by the army in order to promote the modernization of national defense. Although he encountered considerable resistance, he still insisted on it.
It took three years. In 2017, all military farms were closed.
So, because of this, modi thinks he is very proud. He thinks he is an iron Bismarck and an iron fist like Putin.
So this time, he wanted to reform the conscription system.
Modi thought, all the farms run by our army can be closed. It’s useless for so many high caste officers to oppose me. Will they still be afraid of you low caste “untouchables”?
Therefore, he resolutely carried out the recruitment reform of the “road of fire”, saying that he would recruit fire fighters.
Unexpectedly, the fire fighters were not recruited. Instead, the angry Indians burned the train…
Seeing that the riots are getting worse and worse, and have spread to eight states, officials from the Indian Ministry of the interior and the Ministry of defense rushed out to put out the fire, saying that the Ministry of the interior would provide 10% of the new job quota for veterans, and the Ministry of defense would also help you solve the 20% employment problem.
They also promised to raise the age limit for recruitment from 21 to 23, but only this year.
But even so, not many young people are willing to pay for it. We used to get money from lying in the barracks. Now you let us go out and look for jobs? Mr. Minister, what kind of work do you offer us, picking up garbage or washing dishes?
Therefore, the young people in India do not agree and firmly oppose it.
Under pressure, another Indian official came out to speak. They said that newly recruited soldiers enjoy the same allowances as active duty soldiers, and if you die in service, your family will receive a compensation of 10million rupees, about 86 yuan.
As soon as this was said, the young people who made trouble dispersed one after another.
The official was very happy when he saw the scene. Unexpectedly, he was able to quell the riots with his own words. It was a great achievement.
But when he was complacent, he saw in a twinkling of an eye that all the young people who had left had come back, and they were all copying sticks…
Up to now, the riots have continued, and the Indian protests have intensified. There is no sign of an end in the short term.
Modi’s military reform is certainly good for India, but as a Chinese, out of national interests, I certainly don’t want him to succeed in the reform. None of us want to see a strong India. Of course, this is a bit selfish.
Secondly, analyze this matter objectively. Modi wants to reform, but he ignores a crucial factor:
For the upper class, the most important thing is interests. Cutting off people’s financial resources is like killing their parents. In history, countless emperors were ousted because they violated the interests of bureaucratic groups.
However, for the people at the bottom, the relative interests are not so important, because they are being exploited every day. What’s the difference between more and less?
For them, the most important thing is hope.
Depriving the people at the bottom of the society of hope is like digging up their ancestral graves. Can we not play with you?
Finally.
In response to the riots caused by the Indian military reform, I would like to say:
The people of a country become soldiers for money and fight for money. Can an army like this have combat effectiveness?