The army has set up a WhatsApp number for its soldiers to post their problems directly to Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat instead of going to the social media directly. The move comes after a series of videos were posted online by personnel from the army, IAF and central police forces regarding various conditions that they work under. Officials said that there is an existing system of grievance redressal within the army which is prompt. However, many in the army are apprehensive about this move as they say that it will be impossible to keep out any unwarranted message that can come on WhatsApp. This is very good move. This will surely increase the connectivity and understanding between the upper staff and lower staff. Since it is a common WhatsApp number, it will not be just the 1.3 million-strong Indian Army personnel who can send messages to the number but also anyone in the world. And also, there will be no check on what kind of text, video or link will be sent to the number. Earlier, Gen Rawat announced the setting up of the ‘Chief of Army Staff Redressal and Grievance Boxes’ at the Army Headquarters, at Command Headquarters and subsequently at lower levels. This was the first such initiative to get closer to the ranks by any Army Chief. Generally the ranks remain away from such grievances redressal mechanism. But with ‘direct approach’ the soldiers’ grievances would reach the Chief of Army Staff directly which is a dynamic move keeping the large scale human resource army carries and with the emergence of diverging security needs in the modern times. Rawat’s comment came a day after Lance Naik Yagya Pratap, in a video alleged that “jawans are being exploited in the army by officers”. The exercise would restore a confidence mechanism through the hierarchy of the army and would make grievances redressal in the right earnest.
