Now Reading: Territorial Army has 44,400 personnel, Rajnath Singh says
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Territorial Army has 44,400 personnel, Rajnath Singh says
The Territorial Army has about 44,400 personnel across 59 units and can reinforce the armed forces during crises, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Defence. Speaking…
The Story in Brief
The Territorial Army has about 44,400 personnel across 59 units and can reinforce the armed forces during crises, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Defence. Speaking at a Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting, Singh described its members as “citizen-soldiers” who maintain civilian careers while remaining available for military service.
The ministry said the force has also supported flood and cyclone relief, environmental work and the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign in remote Jammu and Kashmir. Its Ecological Task Forces have planted nearly 10 crore saplings, with a reported survival rate of 80% to 85%. Singh cited operations during floods in Kerala and Assam and a cyclone in Odisha.
The Indian Opinion
The easy narrative is that the Territorial Army is either a substitute for full-time soldiers or mainly a ceremonial force. Neither fits the ministry’s account. Its value depends on trained personnel being available quickly, while disaster work and environmental projects need proper independent measurement. The sapling survival rate is a claim worth checking through field audits, as is the force’s response time when the next emergency tests its 59 units.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
