New Delhi: With China and India holding multiple rounds of talks on the border row along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Territorial Army (TA) — which is an arm of the Indian Army — has inducted Mandarin experts to act as interpreters during border personnel meetings between the two sides, ThePrint has learnt.
The TA is also at a “very advanced stage to induct cyber experts, given the current scenario”.
According to sources in the force, deliberations are ongoing and the criteria for inducting personnel have been identified. The TA has also devised a test plan for the cyber experts and should get clearance from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for inducting them within this month. As part of the pilot project, the idea is to initially induct at least six cyber experts.
Raised on 9 October, 1949, the TA is a volunteer force of India that can be quickly mobilised and utilised during war as well as “no-war, no-peace” scenarios in regions with a history of unrest — for instance, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the Northeast.
The TA has also been undertaking ecological tasks around the country and has raised 10 Ecological Task Force (ETF) battalions that solely undertake ecology-related work around the country. The first such battalion was raised in December 1982.
“These battalions have been deployed in various parts of the country, right from deserts to mountains and the plains of Maharashtra. The task forces have helped in restoring afforestation and maintaining the ecological balance in these areas,” a source told ThePrint.
About more than nine crore trees have been planted on around 90,000 hectares of land that had been allotted for the work by various state governments.
As part of Mission Amrit Sarovar launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022, the TA created and in certain cases rejuvenated around 700 lakes. The TA is also in touch with various state governments who are keen to raise additional ecological battalions to maintain the ecological balance in the environment, it is learnt.
“In the areas where ETF battalions were deployed, they were able to prevent soil erosion along the banks. These battalions even managed to prevent illegal activities along the river while keeping river pollution in check,” said one source, adding that TA battalions had also gained recognition for creation of herbal gardens.
“Now, in fact, based on the work they have done, we are getting more requests for raising additional task forces along the Ganga or its tributaries like the Yamuna and Gomti,” the source added.
According to sources, in case of the Yamuna, one of the companies the Army had moved early this year was there for three months for restoration activities along the river.
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi has also requested the TA to carry out more such work. “So, we are in the deliberation stage for raising another task force for the Yamuna,” said the source quoted earlier.
The TA’s annual target includes planting roughly 40-45 lakh trees across the country.
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Departmental, infantry & engineer battalions
The TA is divided into departmental and non-departmental units. The departmental units are funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, among others.
All in all, the TA comprises 60 battalions, 14 of which are departmental. The majority of 43 others are infantry battalions, and three are engineer battalions.
The infantry and engineer battalions are non-departmental, and fully funded by the Ministry of Defence. They work in tandem with regular Indian Army troops.
The 43 infantry battalions are deployed in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rann of Kutch as well as Manipur, depending on the requirement of the Indian Army.
In Manipur, owing to the ongoing ethnic conflict because of which essential services such as petrol pumps and aviation came to be hit, sources said it was TA battalions who helped in restoring them. The infantry battalions are also engaged in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations alongside the Indian Army.
Sources added that the TA was utilised in “perception management” in Kashmir, adding that units were deployed in the valley to promote the central government’s ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative.
In August this year, leading up to Independence Day, TA units distributed about 10,000 national flags in a number of villages in Kashmir, according to the force.
The units are further involved in extending protection to Border Roads Organisation (BRO) projects, which are carried out in “sensitive areas and difficult terrain” as well as projects of the Indian Railways, particularly in the Northeast.
Until recently, the Ministry of Railways had six battalions of the TA under it. However, five of these, located in different parts of the country, were disbanded in September, owing to “modernisation in the Railways”.
The three engineer units, meanwhile, are involved in the maintenance of anti-infiltration obstacle systems along the Line of Control (LoC). They have also been involved in creation of infrastructure in border areas, including the Ladakh region.
The TA, in a bid to give greater representation to women, has started inducting women officers in sectors such as oil engineers, railways as well as in headquarters like TA directorates with staff appointments, it is learnt.
“More women officers will be inducted,” the source mentioned earlier told ThePrint.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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