Northeast youth given concessions to join Indian Army

Youths and tribals in the northeast have been given special concession in height and educational qualification to join the Indian Army, an official said here Wednesday.

'Among the eligibility criteria to join Indian Army, the minimum height required for the northeast Indian youth is 157-160 centimetres as against rest of India's requirement of 169 centimetres,' Assam's Silchar-based Army Recruitment Office director Colonel Sanjeev Bajpai told reporters.

He said for the tribals, the minimum educational qualification is Class 8 pass while for the others it is Class 12 pass to join the army as soldiers, soldier-clerks, store keepers-technical, soldiers-technical and nursing assistants.

The tribals constitute 27 percent of northeast India's total population of 38,857,769, according to the 2001 census.

'We will take whatever number of youths who want to join the Indian Army from the northeast, if they fulfil the eligibility criteria. There is no quota or vacancy posts systems for them,' Bajpai said ahead of a week-long open recruitment rally in Tripura beginning Aug 23.

There are special categories for sportsmen of state and national level, sons of former soldiers and war widows, widows, and National Cadet Corps - 'C' certificate holders, he said.

'Frequency of holding open recruitment rallies in northeast India have been increased of late to encourage youth of the region to join the Indian Army and lead a proud life,' Bajpai added.