New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) The Territorial Army, a reserve force of trained civilians to aid the Indian Army, completed 60 years of existence Friday and aims to woo more youngsters and working professionals to join its ranks.
“On the 60th anniversary, we are working towards tapping young talent from the corporate, engineering, IT and other fields,” said a senior officer of the Territorial Army.
The Territorial Army is a volunteer force of people eager to do their bit for the country’s defence. It acts as a reserve for the regular army in times of need and draws men and women from the age group of 18-42.
The Territorial Army has proposed to make its training schedule more flexible to accommodate the requirements of the working professionals.
“There is a proposal to shorten the training period because if you are taking in an expert then you do not have to give him that much training,” said the officer.
Currently, on joining the Territorial Army, officers have to undergo mandatory training of four months followed by two months of training every year. This is now proposed to be cut down to one month and 14 days, respectively.
The Territorial Army has also proposed to raise an all-women’s unit in the insurgency-hit northeast region.
“There is a proposal for raising an all women’s battalion for the northeast,” said the officer.
Presently, women can only join as doctors and nurses in the Territorial Army, which has a strength of 40,000.
In recent times, former India cricket team captain Kapil Dev and Malayalam film super star Mohanlal have joined the Territorial Army.
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