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New Delhi: The Army is planning to raise new battalions comprising youth from Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, states that have borders with China, on the lines of Ladakh Scouts.
The new battalions would be posted in their respective states.
The Army Commanders' Conference, which began its biannual session here today, discussed the plans to raise these new battalions in the two states bordering China, Army officers said today.
"The idea is to have battalions comprising sons of the soil from these two states. The battalions would be similar to the Ladakh Scouts, which are normally posted only in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir," they said.
On the prudence of having such battalions, officers said the two primary reasons were: the local youth's natural acclimatisation to the region's terrain, weather and environment and that they would fight to defend their land to the finish.
Asked how many battalions would be raised, they said finer details of the new battalions would come out after the Army commanders debated the issue threadbare.
Sikkim has a population of just 5.4 lakh as per 2001 census and according to government figures, 60 per cent of them are below 24 years of age. Arunachal Pradesh has a population of 10.9 lakh as per 2001 census and also boasts of a high youth population.
India's borders with China along Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh extends to 222 km and 1,540 km respectively. While China claims 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh as its own, it also claims a small tract of territory in Sikkim called the 'Finger Area' too.
While the border along Arunachal Pradesh remains disputed, China officially recognised India's sovereignty over Sikkim during then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Beijing in 2003.
The Army's Ladakh Scouts were raised in 1963 following the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The battalion was first used as pioneers and during the Indo-Pak Kargil war in 1999 they were accorded the status of full regiments of the Army. At present, the Army has five Ladakh Scouts regiments.
Ladakh Scouts officer Major Sonam Wangchuk is the latest recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second highest wartime gallantry medal. Earlier Chewang Rinchen had won MVC twice, first during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war and again during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
The Ladakh Scouts served outside Ladakh only once in 2006-07 when one of their units was posted in Chandimandir, the seat of the Army's Western Command.
Army to raise new battalions from Sikkim, Arunachal
The new battalions would be posted in their respective states.
The Army Commanders' Conference, which began its biannual session here today, discussed the plans to raise these new battalions in the two states bordering China, Army officers said today.
"The idea is to have battalions comprising sons of the soil from these two states. The battalions would be similar to the Ladakh Scouts, which are normally posted only in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir," they said.
On the prudence of having such battalions, officers said the two primary reasons were: the local youth's natural acclimatisation to the region's terrain, weather and environment and that they would fight to defend their land to the finish.
Asked how many battalions would be raised, they said finer details of the new battalions would come out after the Army commanders debated the issue threadbare.
Sikkim has a population of just 5.4 lakh as per 2001 census and according to government figures, 60 per cent of them are below 24 years of age. Arunachal Pradesh has a population of 10.9 lakh as per 2001 census and also boasts of a high youth population.
India's borders with China along Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh extends to 222 km and 1,540 km respectively. While China claims 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh as its own, it also claims a small tract of territory in Sikkim called the 'Finger Area' too.
While the border along Arunachal Pradesh remains disputed, China officially recognised India's sovereignty over Sikkim during then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Beijing in 2003.
The Army's Ladakh Scouts were raised in 1963 following the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The battalion was first used as pioneers and during the Indo-Pak Kargil war in 1999 they were accorded the status of full regiments of the Army. At present, the Army has five Ladakh Scouts regiments.
Ladakh Scouts officer Major Sonam Wangchuk is the latest recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second highest wartime gallantry medal. Earlier Chewang Rinchen had won MVC twice, first during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war and again during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
The Ladakh Scouts served outside Ladakh only once in 2006-07 when one of their units was posted in Chandimandir, the seat of the Army's Western Command.
Army to raise new battalions from Sikkim, Arunachal
