24% of country’s ex-servicemen from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal

Highlighting the deep-rooted martial traditions of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the three states account for nearly a quarter of the country’s ex-servicemen population across 34 states and UTs, despite comprising less than 5 per cent of the nation’s total land and human resources.

Of the total 27,78,951 registered ex-servicemen in the country from all the three services, 6,63,736 (24 per cent) were from the three northern states, according to data shared by the Ministry of Defence in Parliament on Friday. The three states have only 4.5 per cent of the country’s land area and 4.97 per cent of the total population.

At 3,59,523, Punjab, often referred to as the “sword arm of the nation”, has the second-highest number of ex-servicemen. This year’s strength is a slight increase over last year’s number of 3,27,212. While Punjab is ranked 16th among all states according to their share of the national population, it is the second-highest contributor of troops to the Army.

Uttar Pradesh, also the country’s most-populous state, has 4,21,145 ex-servicemen. With 2,09,523, Rajasthan occupies the third slot, followed by Maharashtra (1,96,487) at fourth.

Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have an ex-servicemen strength of 1,75,637 and 1,28,576, respectively, placing them at the fifth and eighth positions. Bihar, Kerala and Uttarakhand are ahead of Himachal Pradesh.