After having served the country in any of the capacities, the veterans of the Indian Armed Forces find it very difficult to get a decent job, when they are 45 years or less. There are those who do a Short Service Commission (SSC) which lasts for 7 years while there are others who are on Permanent Commission (PC) and retire after 20 years of service. And then comes the question, What Next? What can be done for the rest of your life?
While some find roles in administration and security, others find it difficult to find suitable roles. Although they are equipped with good training, skills, discipline, and experience, veterans in India find it difficult to transition into a corporate role. There is a need to bridge this gap so that our respected veterans do not find it difficult in sustaining themselves and their families.
We bring to you an interesting story of ex-Indian army officer Capt Venkat Ramana, who shares his latest initiative called ‘Xainik’, a platform to help veterans succeed. ‘Xainik’ uses technology to make things easy for the Armed Forces community and the Industrial ecosystem to connect with each other, thus bridging the gap. It is a mobile and web app that allows users to register themselves and make use of all the features for mutual benefit.
On being asked on what led him to take this initiative, Capt Ramana, an alumnus of IIM, L, and SSCBS Delhi, shared two reasons. “I was in my college when my father retired from the Army. He struggled for 3 years to get a suitable job matching his experience. I could barely help him other than making his resume. Second, when I was serving, I saw my senior officers and the men I commanded struggling with their transition. On researching further, I learned that situations were grim and there was no one to guide them. Companies were hiring them mostly for security and other shared services roles. That is when I decided to solve it by taking one small step at a time.”
Capt Ramana, further shared that, currently there is no central platform where our Ten million Armed Forces community can find opportunities. Similarly, the Industry including Government, Semi-government, and Private Institutions does not have an easy-to-go place to reach out to this community. It is all scattered and broken, hence Xainik will help fix this.
On being asked the challenges being faced while designing the app and website for the veterans, Capt Ramana said, “I have been making multiple attempts since 2005 towards this initiative. The biggest challenge is in getting the defence community on board due to their inhibitions to embrace technology. The majority of the community members are available in private closed networks, and physical spaces while they are scattered across the country. Getting them in one place irrespective of their demographics, ranks, and needs is the biggest challenge. I am working towards it by taking structured but little steps.”
Less than 10% of the veterans are successful after their service tenures. With an aim to improve this, Capt Ramana expressed that it is important to give them the dignity they deserve. “Naam, Namak, Nishaan: That is what every soldier lives and dies for. Dignity should not be construed as a snob. It is about a suitable role that respects the experience,” concluded the former officer from the Indian Army.
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