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Journalism of Courage
PUNE, Sept 14: The College of Military Engineering CME, which completes 50 years in Pune this year, will start a direct entry scheme to admit students after XII standard. They will graduate as commissioned officers after a four-year stint at the CME and six months at the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun.
The Ministry of Defence has cleared the proposal and the infrastructure is being readied to house the first batch of cadets expected to join in July 2000, said Lt. Gen. A.K. Puri, Commandant, CME, at a press conference here this morning. A budget of Rs 10.06 crore has been submitted to the Government for the initial phase of the training. 8220;A brigadier will be in charge of the technical cadet wing and existing laboratories and academic staff will be used in the training. The only addition would be combat training instructors, to be brought in from regiments,8221; added Maj. Gen. S.D. Sohoni, Deputy Commandant, CME.
He refused to comment on the nuclear and biological warfare seminar attended in CME last week by the army chief, Gen. V.P. Malik. 8220;We are going to send proposals to the Government, deterrence is the policy we are following,8221; was all he was willing to concede. The CME has been training officers of the Corps of Engineers, Signals and EME besides training all ranks of the army in bomb disposal, camouflage, concealment, detection and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices.
