Govt to recruit ex-servicemen to tackle Naxals

The government will recruit about 2,000 ex-servicemen specialised in commando and jungle warfare tactics to impart cutting-edge training to the Central Reserve Police Force personnel. The recruitment of these ex-servicemen, which will begin in May, assumes significance as 75 para-military personnel were massacred by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada recently, raising questions on the operational strategies of the force.

Those servicemen, who retired as Sepoy and Havaldar, will be drawn from Army regiments and Corps like infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured, artillery, intelligence and engineering Corps for the purpose. In order to ensure that the CRPF personnel get the best training, the government has made it mandatory for these ex-servicemen to be trained in specialised courses like commando training, weapons, IED and bomb disposal, dog handling at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS).It is also mandatory for these ex-servicemen to have served in insurgency-hit areas and had stints at Army training schools.

"These men will be deputed to train our personnel at the various counter insurgency and jungle warfare schools in the country which are facing shortage of trainers. It is a fact that a good trainer can only bring out the best in an individual," a senior CRPF officer said.

The ex-servicemen will be recruited on a contractual basis for five to seven years on a total remuneration of Rs 12,625 plus other incentives. Initially 1,950 men will be recruited and the numbers could be enhanced in the future. The all-India recruitment will begin in May and would finish by June after which the ex-servicemen would undergo initial training and briefing before they start the job, the officer said.

A board of senior CRPF and home ministry officials will conduct the "open rally" recruitment for which an applicant should be under 40 years of age. There will not be any criteria for physical and educational background of the ex-service personnel.