Plans afoot to set up Haryana’s first armed forces’ prep institute in Sonepat

INSTITUTE TO RUN 2YR NDA PREPARATORY COURSE, ALONG WITH CLASSES 11 & 12; AND 3YEAR COURSE FOR IMA AND OTA, ALONG WITH GRADUATION DEGREE

Plans are afoot to set up Haryana’s first armed forces’ preparatory institute in Sonepat.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has given his approval for the proposed institute in principle in Khanda village in Sonepat, which would provide training to selected boys from the state for commission into the armed forces through National Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Military Academy (IMA), Officers Training Academy (OTA) and other central armed police forces.

It would run a two-year NDA preparatory course for boys, along with 10 plus 2 course, and three-year preparatory course for IMA and OTA, along with graduation degree. These courses will have 100 and 50 seats, respectively.

The village panchayat has offered 30-acre land, which is lying barren. Located on Sonepat-Rohtak road, Khanda village is about five km from Kharkhoda and eight km from KMP Express Highway.

Khattar’s nod came after repeated representations by the village panchayat led by Raj Singh, the registrar of companies at Chandigarh, who hails from the village.

The proposed institute would be named after Banda Bahadur as the legend warrior had set up his first military headquarters and raised his army in Sehri Khanda village in 1709.

He stayed at the Bairagi Thakurdwara of Mahant Kishore Das of Nirmohi Akhara for about nine months then.

The institute will give a further push to state youth’s recruitment in armed forces.

Haryana, which has just about 2.09% of the country’s population, is known as the provider of military recruits and contributes for more than 10% of its total army recruits.

Out of the total 832 successful cadets at Indian Military Academy in 2017, 107 (13%) were from Haryana.

Singh, whose ancestors hosted the legend warrior Banda Bahadur, said. “This way the institute would also serve the purpose of recognising the contribution of the legendary warrior.”