COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING – Lok Sabha Q&A

COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING – Lok Sabha Q&A

Compulsory Military Training

Government of India is not in favour of making military training compulsory to all the youth of the country due to the following reasons:-

• India is a democratic Republic and the Constitution does not provide for compulsory military training. In our democratic set up, people are free to choose their professions. Compulsion in respect of Military Training, it is felt, would go against the democratic ethos.
• 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 the undesirable elements.
• Armed Forces in India have a large number of volunteers to draw upon and there is no problem in getting adequate numbers of volunteer recruits. All the youth of the country, therefore, do not compulsorily need to be given military training.
• Training all the youth in the country would require establishment of a very large number of training centres, with the necessary wherewithal, all over the country and would involve huge expenditure in their maintenance and upkeep. The likely benefits of imparting military training to all the youth will not be commensurate with the expenditure involved in such an effort. This would translate into an unmanageable figure and will also be a big drain on limited resources of a developing country.

A number of proposals have been received during the last five years in this regard. Three private member bills were also introduced in the Parliament, the details of which are as under.

Proposal received from	Proposal in brief	Status of Proposal/Action taken by Ministry of Defence
A Private Member Bill was received from Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, MP (Lok Sabha) – introduced in Lok Sabha on 19.8.2011.	To provide for Compulsory Military Training to all able-bodied citizens.	Consequent on appointment of Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the member-in-charge, as a Minister, the Bill was removed from the Register of Bills pending in Lok Sabha.
A Private Member Bill was received from Shri Avinash Rai Khanna, MP (Rajya Sabha) – introduced in Rajya Sabha on 07.12.2012.	To provide Compulsory Military Training to all youths in the country.	The Bill did not find favour with Government, however, President’s recommendations were obtained and the same were forwarded to Rajya Sabha Secretariat for consideration of Bill in Rajya Sabha.  It is pending in Rajya Sabha.
A Private Member Bill was received from Dr. Bhola Singh, MP (Lok Sabha) – introduced in Lok Sabha on 08.03.2013.	To provide Compulsory Military Training to all able-bodied citizens.	The Private Member’s Bill has lapsed due to dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley in a written reply to Shri CS Putta Raju in Lok Sabha today(25.7.2014).

Source:PIB News