Govt says no conscription for youth

The Modi government on Friday ruled out any compulsory military training for youth, saying it may “lead to the militarisation of an entire nation” and to avoid any scenario in which unemployed youth trained in military skills may “join the ranks of undesirable elements”.

The government also informed Parliament that 50 Indian Army soldiers had died at the Siachen glacier — the world’s highest battlefield — in the past three years ( 2011 to July, 2014) due to landslides, floods, avalanches and “environmental/ climatic” conditions. The government also said it had asked China to cease its activities in PoK. The government also said Nagayalanka in district Krishna of Andhra Pradesh is one of the two locations identified by the DRDO for setting up of missile test range facilities.

“Military training to all the youth of the country may also lead to militarisation of an entire nation. With our socio- political and economic conditions, it is highly undesirable lest some of the unemployed youth trained in military skills join the ranks of undesirable elements,” defence minister Arun Jaitley informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

He also said any compulsion in this regard would go against the democratic ethos, adding that expenditure involved in case of compulsory military training “would also translate into an unmanageable ( monetary) figure and will also be a big drain on limited resources of a developing country”.