The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which has 10 battalions posted in Arunachal Pradesh, has offered to provide pre-recruitment training to local youths at its headquarters across the state.
The director-general of the ITBP, R.K. Pachnanda, who called on chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday, said the training will equip local youths with basic physical fitness required for qualifying in recruitments by the central paramilitary force, The Telegraph reported.
He said the ITBP is willing to offer its services such as health camps in the border areas of the state at regular intervals.
He proposed that a largescale health mela (fair) be conducted by the ITBP that may be inaugurated by Khandu or the health minister.
The chief minister appreciated the offer to provide pre-recruitment training to local youths and assured to coordinate the meeting with deputy commissioners scheduled to be held in the second week of June.
He sought the cooperation of the force and requested for creation of two new battalions comprising exclusively of local Arunachalee youths. He added that they are physically as well as mentally acclimatised to difficult terrains and topography of the region. As the ITBP is a specialised mountain force, Khandu said youths of the state will be best suited for the job.
“Add to it immense level of patriotism embedded in our people,” the chief minister said.
Pachnanda, who is visiting border outposts in the state, assured his commitment to the proposal and said: “It was in fact under process.”
He said the ITBP will be more than happy to have any number of battalions consisting exclusively of local youths from their home state. He added that pre-recruitment trainings will enable more and more local youths to get employed in the force.
Pachnanda said the 10-bed hospital at Kimin is being upgraded to cater to the needs of local population till a full-fledged hospital comes up on the Yupia ITBP premises. He said the central paramilitary force has been conducting excursions for school students besides sporting activities.