Date:20/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012051600900.htm

National

No plans for conscription: Pallam Raju

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Government has no immediate plans to go in for conscription or compulsory military service, the Minister of State for Defence, M.M. Pallam Raju, said here on Friday.

Talking to newspersons on the sidelines of his visit to the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp, he denied that the Government was seized of the issue at the moment in view of acute shortage of students opting for military officers’ training through the NDA and CDS exams. Lack of funds was even proving to be a hurdle to raise the strength of NCC from 13 to 15 lakh, he added and called upon States to raise their contribution to the NCC even as the Government is planning to seek the services of ex-servicemen for imparting training to the cadets.

Earlier, addressing the cadets, Mr. Pallam Raju said the NCC played a critical role in moulding and motivating the youth into responsible citizens. Speaking on the occasion, NCC Director General Lt. Gen. Prakash Choudhary pointed out that the NCC Cadets achieved a distinction by bagging the second place in the recent National Shooting Championships, second only to the Army.