|
Haryana steals a march over Punjab
brethren
WSN Network
CHANDIGARH: In a
rather worrying development, Haryana seems to be leaving behind
Punjab
as far as Army officer quota is concerned as against
Punjab’s 20,
Haryana had 52 among the 468 cadets at the
Indian
National
Academy
this year. Even last year, Punjab had 17 officials as compared to 54
from Haryana.
Haryana has left
its mark in the country’s sentinel cavalcade finishing third, with
Uttar Pradesh leading with 67 and Uttarakhand second with 56.
According to
figures, from the highest 25% personnel in the corps,
Punjab has been
witnessing a decline in the number joining the defence forces in
recent years.
War veteran
Brigadier KK Kahlon (Retd) said the Punjabi youths, whose love for
weapons runs in their blood, are now opting for this profession as a
last option. “Youngsters now prefer to join the civil services for
stability and better career conditions. This is followed by
opportunities abroad. Army comes last,” rued Kahlon. “Surprisingly,
only 1% of the children of families boasting of their Army tradition
continue with their forces’ link,” he said.
Confirming the
scenario, Col Rajinder Singh Gadhok (Retd) of “Olive green” academy
that grooms the two states’ youths for the SSB interview, was quoted
in media reports as saying, “Haryana youths are more in number and
high spirited in their choice. While, Punjab residents, who are
adequately qualified, prefer vocations which guarantee better pay
package and better service conditions,” adding, “However, persons
from both the states possess almost similar skills and qualities.”
Meanwhile, the
other states which had recorded their presence in the recent POP
include
Bihar
(33), Rajasthan (21),
Maharashtra
(36), Himachal Pradesh (18), Delhi (19) and Madhya Pradesh (17). Of
the seven north-eastern sisters, only Assam (4) and Manipur (8)
registered their presence.
17 December
2008
|
Read Also