State to get 3rd institute for youth aspiring to join defence forces
A third institute to prepare the youth from Punjab to join the armed forces as officers is set to take off in Hoshiarpur. Christened Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Armed Forces Preparatory Institute after a freedom fighter hailing from the state, it is expected to be inaugurated in the near future.
The institute, unlike the other two in the state, will be co-educational and run short-duration courses for preparing aspirants for the written entrance examination for different entry schemes for the armed forces as well as for interview by the services selection boards.
The foundation stone for the institute was laid by the then Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, in February 2021. The government had earmarked 12.75 acres for the project to be executed at a cost of around Rs 30 crore.
At present, there are two institutes, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MRSAFPI) for boys and Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MBAFPI) for girls, both based in Mohali, that prepare youth from the state to become officers in the defence services.
Punjab has a strong martial heritage. While it is the second largest contributor of manpower to the Army’s rank and file amongst all states, accounting for about 8 per cent of troops, according to the data shared by the Defence Ministry with Parliament, it fares poorly as far as officers are concerned.
In the olden days, officers from Punjab constituted about 30 per cent of the Army’s officer cadre, which fell to just 2 per cent by 2010.
To stem the declining trend of youth from Punjab opting for a career in the defence services, the state government established the MRSAFPI in 2011. The institute enrolled matriculate students for a two-year residential programme funded by the state, under which they completed their 10+2 from an affiliated school and alongside prepared for the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance examination and subsequent SSB interview through a structured academic, sports and personality development training process.
To date, 255 cadets of this institute have joined various service training academies since the first batch of cadets passed out of the institute in 2013, and 170 alumni of the institute have so far been commissioned as officers in the defence services.
In 2015, the MBAFPI was also set up in Mohali to prepare girls aspiring to become defence officers. This institute initially offered a three-year programme along with graduation aimed at the Short-Service Commission, but with the NDA opening its doors to girls, a two-year programme for women, similar to that of the AFPI, was also introduced.
Punjab