After Mohali success, Punjab plans armed forces preparatory institute in Hoshiarpur
Chandigarh: Considering the success of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI) in Mohali, the Punjab government is coming up with one more such institute in Bajwara village of Hoshiarpur district to groom young boys for joining the armed forces as commissioned officers.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh told TOI that Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ambika Soni had donated her house and land for establishing AFPI.
“There are a number of young boys who join armed forces from the region and we are grateful to Ambika Soni for this kind gesture,” said Capt Amarinder Singh, himself is a retired Army officer.
He added that the project, as per the proposal, would cost around Rs 25 crore. Half of the sum could be sanctioned this year and the remaining next year, said the CM.
The state government had established the first AFPI on 8.5 acres in Sector 77 of Mohali in 2011, after observing that Punjab’s representation in the armed forces had fallen from around 30% a few decades ago to just 2% in 2010. To date, six batches have passed out of AFPI after undergoing two years of training along with completion of Class XII. So far, 119 AFPI students have joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) and other service academies. In June this year, 15 AFPI-trained cadets were commissioned into the Indian Army and five into the Indian Air Force.
He added that the project, as per the proposal, would cost around Rs 25 crore. Half of the sum could be sanctioned this year and the remaining next year, said the CM.
The state government had established the first AFPI on 8.5 acres in Sector 77 of Mohali in 2011, after observing that Punjab’s representation in the armed forces had fallen from around 30% a few decades ago to just 2% in 2010. To date, six batches have passed out of AFPI after undergoing two years of training along with completion of Class XII. So far, 119 AFPI students have joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) and other service academies. In June this year, 15 AFPI-trained cadets were commissioned into the Indian Army and five into the Indian Air Force.
Four years after setting up the AFPI for boys, the Punjab government had set up the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute in 2015, exclusively to train girls for the armed forces. This institute was set up on eight acres of land in Sector 66 of Mohali. It recruits 25 lady cadets in every batch after completion of Class XII. The lady cadets are trained for three years, while undergoing graduation course, to enter the Officers Training Academy (OTA) and Air Force Academy (AFA).
So far, two lady cadets of the institute have joined the OTA and two AFA, out of the two batches which have graduated. Maj Gen IP Singh (retd.), director of the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, reasons that competition is tough for the 25 lady cadets of this institute as compared to 48 male cadets of AFPI since there are around 350 vacancies in NDA for boys, but only 12 for lady cadets in OTA and 10-15 in AFA. This institute also conducts five-week courses for girls who have already completed graduation and want to join armed forces.
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