Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar has urged the central government to increase the recruitment quota of Himachal and other traditional states in armed forces.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Shanta said, "The youth in Himachal
is not getting ample opportunities to go into armed forces due to the population-based recruitment quota."
He was giving statement on the shortage of officers and soldiers in armed forces. Shanta said, "Indian army is facing shortage of 12,500 officers and 30,000 soldiers apart from weapons."
"The Parliamentary Standing Committee had also raised concern over this shortage during the last budget session," said Shanta, adding that the youth of Himachal, Punjab and Uttarakhand were always enthusiastic to join the armed forces.
"The former army chief had also informed the prime minister about the shortage of modern weapons in the army," he added.
He said Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had several times urged the Centre to increase the recruitment quota of Himachal Pradesh but the proposal was never considered.
"Such shortage of weapons and soldiers also create a sense of insecurity in the common masses," said Shanta and urged the government to take immediate step to overcome the shortage of manpower and weapons in the armed forces.