New Delhi, June 2
If you think north Indians lead in joining the armed forces, you are wrong. A subtle change is taking place in the demographic profile of the forces as the intake from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh is on the decline.
The number of youth from north Indian states joining the National Defence Academy (NDA) is on a steady decline and this phenomenon has become more prominent in the past five years.
Reason: Either the youth from the North are failing to clear the entrance test or they are not interested in a career in the forces, said a senior officer.
NDA Commandant T.S. Randhawa says: “We have been getting a healthy pool of talent that is trained as officers. It should not bother anybody from where they are coming”.
The north Indian states — seen as the home to the “martial races” — the Sikhs, Jats and the Rajputs — no more form the backbone of the forces.
The bulk now is from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. More numbers of boys from these two states along with youth from the northeastern states are qualifying.
The worst decline has been witnessed from Punjab where the intake has reduced to a single-digit number. Just a decade ago, about 30 boys from the state cleared the NDA exam, held twice a year.
However, in the past five years, the number is declining fast and the previous batch had just 10 boys from Punjab. And still worst, not a single candidate from Chandigarh has qualified for the NDA in the past three batches. Delhi, with its mix of Sikh, Punjabi and Jat population notwithstanding, had only eight boys in the last batch; down from the “heyday” just a decade ago when the average was more than 20 for each batch.
In case of Himachal Pradesh, which has a sizeable number of Rajput and Punjabi population, the number at the NDA is falling. The heroics of Capt Vikram Batra, who was awarded the Paramvir Chakra for the Kargil War, does not seem to have not encouraged the youth enough.
In the past five years, the intake has been mostly less than 10. However, the last three batches have been somewhat better. About a decade ago, Himachal had a constant stream of young officers so much so that demands had been made that Himachal should have a separate regiment.
In case of Haryana, the intake has varied with each batch but has remained somewhat static. However, the youth from Uttarakhand and Rajasthan have maintained a healthy inflow. On an average more than 20 boys make it to every batch.
Nationally, there has been decline from Andhra Pradesh and West
Bengal also.
