Army has no plan to relax physical standard for Orissa tribals

Bhubaneswar: Indian Army has no plan to relax physical standard for tribal youths from naxal infested areas of Orissa during recruitment as requested by the state government earlier, a top official said today.

"Army has no plan to relax physical standard for tribal youths from naxal-infested areas. As such there is relaxation for tribals and people from hilly regions. No futher relaxation is required", said Lt General J K Mohanty, the chief of the central command.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier told union Home Minister P Chiddambaram to take steps for relaxing physical standard for tribal youths many of whom join Left Wing Extremist (LWEs) groups due to lack of encouragement from defence forces.

"We can stop the tribal youths from joining LWEs by taking them in the defence service", Patnaik had also told defence minister A K Antony in a letter.

Lt Gen Mohanty, however, said that the Army had already launched a special recruitment drive in Orissa's tribal districts for taking more and more people from naxal-infested areas.

While rejecting idea of setting up a Kalinga Regiment in the Army, Lt Gen Mohanty said there was no need to open more regiments on regional basis.

To a question, he also said Army too had no plan to set up an Armed Force Medical College (AFMC) in the state.

Though Orissa's Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Acharya had earlier claimed that the state government had given a proposal to the Army to set up an AFMC in Balasore, Lt Gen Mohanty said he was unaware of it.