Ex-servicemen associations encourage youths to join Army

Darjeeling: With lesser job seekers in the Army from Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills, fears of shifting of the Gorkha Recruiting Depot (GRD) has arisen. Ex-servicemen associations in Darjeeling have given a call to the Hill youths to join the Army in larger numbers.

In the past, a large section of youths from the Hills used to aspire to join the Army. However, recent trends have shown that the number is steadily decreasing by the day.

"On January 13 and 14 the recruitment process for the Gorkhas will take place at the GRD, Jalapahar, Darjeeling. Following this, there will be another recruitment drive at the GRD, Jalapahar in June. If the numbers turning up are less then the GRD could be shifted out of Darjeeling. This would be a big loss for the Hills," said Ringa Tamang, President of the Tamsang Unit of the Gorkha Bhutpurva Sainik Kalyan Sangathan.

The reason for this is that there are very few takers for jobs in the Army from the Hills these days. "Earlier anyone who was a class 8 pass could apply. Now, for the general category, one has to be a class 10 pass with a minimum of 45 per cent marks," added Tamang.

The members of the association have appealed to all political as well as apolitical outfits and social organisations in the Hills to give this a serious thought. "Gorkhas are known throughout the world for their fighting skills. In this era of unemployment, Army jobs are highly paid and our youths should be encouraged to join," said Tamang.

The GRD was set up in Darjeeling in 1886. "In October 2019, the record office was also shifted out of Darjeeling. Service-related issues and problems of the army that used to be resolved in a week now takes months altogether with the record office being shifted out. We don't want a repeat with the GRD," added Tamang.