‘Train youth for defence services’

'Train youth for defence services' 
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 17
A war veteran, Major-General (retd) JS Herr, says that the Punjab government should organise training courses at district level to prepare the youth for entry to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and the National Defence Academy (NDA).

Herr was reacting to the Punjab budgetary proposal of granting Rs 1 lakh per year of training to those cadets who get admitted to the IMA or the NDA.

Having actively participated in the two wars with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, Herr said each District Sainik Welfare Board (DSWB) should run courses to prepare students for the IMA and NDA examinations. Admission for the course should be based on merit and a talent hunt should be launched for the purpose.

"Just giving them an incentive after admission to the IMA or the NDA was not enough as most of the aspirants do not have money to pay fee for coaching for the entrance examination," he pointed out.

For training the aspirants, the DSWBs should involve those ex-servicemen who while in the Army were posted in the selection board and various training institutes.

He said the DSWB at Bathinda was for the past two years organising classes to prepare students for IMA and NDA examinations. However, these should be run on professional lines.

Appreciating the proposal to enhance the allowance of all war decorated soldier by 40 per cent, Herr said it was encouraging that the Punjab government has remembered its soldiers in the budget.

The government should ensure that the benefits reached all categories of decorated soldiers, he added.