Migration, drugs leading to fewer Sikh Regiment recruits: Bhagwant Mann
He said there are several reasons for the poor response to the recruitment drive for the Sikh Regiment. The primary reason, he said, is migration, but added that there is also a reluctance to join the Army under the Agnipath scheme.
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At an event at the Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur, Mann said the Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief had told him that the regiment was facing a shortfall in recruits and had sought the government’s help.
Blaming migration and drugs, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Saturday said fewer youth from Punjab are joining the Army’s Sikh Regiment.
At an event at the Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur, Mann said the Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief had told him that the regiment was facing a shortfall in recruits and had sought the government’s help.
“Recently, the head of Army’s Western Command met me. He told me a very worrying thing and I was saddened to hear this.
He asked for the government’s help saying that the Army was not getting enough recruits for the Sikh regiment. There is such a vast history of gallantry of Sikh Regiment but today there are not enough youth available to be recruited in it,” said Mann at the April 3 event.
The CM attributed the decline to widespread migration abroad and drug addiction.
“The reason is that either the youth are migrating abroad or drugs have ruined their bodies. They are no longer fit and cannot pass tests. I assure him (Army Commander) that we will help the Army towards this purpose and we will protect the legacy of the Sikh Regiment which has a long record of bravery,” Mann said. Speaking to The Indian Express, Brigadier (retd) I S Gakhal, a former Commandant of the Sikh Regimental Centre who is closely involved in regimental activities in the region, said that the CM was correct. “We cannot reveal the exact numbers by which the recruitment falls short but suffice to say that the situation is not pleasant,” he said.
He said there are several reasons for the poor response to the recruitment drive for the Sikh Regiment. The primary reason, he said, is migration, but added that there is also a reluctance to join the Army under the Agnipath scheme.
“The youth in Punjab has also physically declined in standards. The Sikh Regiment and veterans of the regiment have sent groups to each district for recruitment awareness. We have registered over 10,000 youths for this purpose. These youngsters will now be given coaching for the competitive examination for recruitment,” said Brig Gakhal.
Asked about the future of the regiment if the number of recruits remain insufficient, Brig Gakhal said this may lead to disbanding of one or two battalions or the regiment having a mixed class of troops, something that was experimented with during Gen K Sundarji’s tenure as Army Chief in the 1980s and failed.
“The Punjab CM may have made assurances to the Army Commander of help but they already have an organisation to coach youth to join the Army, Centre for Training and Employment of Punjab Youth, which should have been doing something about the shortfall,” he said.
He said the state should ensure that the Agnipath scheme is viewed more favourably and reserve post-demobilisation government jobs for Agniveers.
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