List of Tables & Charts

Chart 1.1: Establishment of TA

Table 4.1: Units of the VFI as on October, 1915

Table 5.1: Units of IDF Corps (As per Indian Army List October, 1918)

Table 5:2: Units of the UTC as on January, 1925 (As per Indian Army List, January 1925)

Table 5:3: Units of the UOTC (As per Indian Army List 1945)

Table 5:4: Units of the AFI (As per Indian Army List of January 1925)

Table 5.5: Urban battalions

Table 5:6: Summary of Provincial Units in 1945

Table 5:7: Units in Order of Precedence in October 1945

Table 6:1: The First Published List of TA Units Raised WEF 1948-49

Table 6:2: List of Provincial Militia TA Units

Table 6:3: Supplimentary Published List of TA & Provincial Militia Units WEF 1948-49

Chart 6:4: Organisation of Army Headquarters

Table 7:1: Suggested Training Module for TA Officers

Chart 7.2: Proposed Organisation of Future TA

Testimonials

“Territorial Army: Gateway for Civilians to Army by Lieutenant Colonel Surender Singh, a thoroughbred third-generation Indian Army officer with a flair for the pen and ingenious innovative mind on matters military tempered by 14 years hard-fought counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism combat experience, is an in-depth historic research on Territorial Armies world over and crystal gazes into future perspectives, making sound prepositions for Territorial Armies preservation, expansion and employment in the context of modern-day seamless warfare. A must for all military and Think tank libraries.”

– Lieutenant General (Retired) Mohinder Singh,

PVSM, UYSM, AVSM. Former Adjutant General,

Indian Army & Colonel of the Punjab Regiment.

“I am happy to know that Lieutenant Colonel Surender Singh has authored a book on Citizens’ Army that not only covers the introduction and history, but also a future perspective of this great force. A must-read for all Indian citizens who are dedicated to the national cause.”

– Lieutenant Colonel Kapil Dev (Honorary),

Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Arjun Award recipient,

Former Captain of the first World Cup-winning

Indian cricket team.

“Territorial Army: Gateway for Civilians to Army by Lieutenant Colonel Surender Singh is a window to understand the very concept of the Territorial Army which is also known as the Citizens’ Army. I would encourage every patriotic Indian looking to contribute to the defence of our motherland to read this book to draw their respective course of actions.”

– Anil Sharma,

Film-Maker & Director of Bollywood Blockbuster Movie Gadar : Ek Prem Katha

"This book written by Lieutenant Colonel Surender Singh is an insightful narrative full of information for those of us who want to understand the Territorial Army of India; which carries a glorious past; and tremendous potential to contribute to strengthening the core of our nation. A must-read for all of us who feel pride in being distinguished as responsible citizens.”

– Dr. Sandeep Singh,

Arjun Award recipient,

Former Captain of the Indian Hockey Team &

Minister of State for Sports & Youth Affairs

(Independent Charge), Government of Haryana (India)

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

The Constitution of Territorial Army

Indian Territorial Army (ITA)1 which is also known as the TA in India was originally constituted with the strength of 130,000 with no limit on expansion in future.2 It is an integral part of the overall structure of the Indian Army and is defined in the Defence Service Regulations Part One under the head of composition. It states that “the army comprises Regular Army, Regular Reserves, and the Territorial Army.”

TA as per the provisions of TA Act Rules 1948 (Revised 1976) also falls within the definition of RA when embodied for active military service or on permanent staff appointments. The provision is further complimented by the Indian Army Act 19503 which states that “Regular Army means officers, junior commissioned officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and other enrolled persons who, by their commission, warrant, terms of enrolment or otherwise, are liable to warrant, terms of enrolment or otherwise, are liable to Union in any part of the world, including persons belonging to the Reserve Forces and the Territorial Army when called out on permanent service.”4

The TA Bill that was introduced in the Constituent Assembly (Legislative), Parliament of India on August 23, 1948 was passed on September 1, 1948. On September 10, 1948, the TA Act came into force and the old British Era ITF 1920 was repealed. India’s first Governor-General C Rajagopalachari finally inaugurated the ITA of free India on October 9, 1949.

Role of the new ITA was envisaged as under:-

To relieve the RA of static duties.

To provide coastal defence and anti-aircraft units, and

To provide field formations and units for the RA as and when required.

Some of the salient features of the newly enacted TA Act were as under:-

“It extends to the whole of India and applies to all classes of persons in the Territorial Army, wherever they may be.”

“Constitution of the Territorial Army - There shall be raised and maintained in the manner hereinafter provided an army to be designated the Territorial Army.”

“The Central Government may constitute such number of units of the Territorial Army as it thinks fit and may disband or reconstitute any unit so constituted.”

“Any person who is a citizen of India may offer himself for enrolment in the Territorial Army, and may, if he satisfies the prescribed conditions, be enrolled for such period and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.”

“Public utility service” means any undertaking which supplies power, light, gas or water to public, or carries on a public transport, or maintains any system of public conservancy or sanitation and which is declared by notification in the Official Gazette, by the Central Government to be a public utility service to which this Act applies.”

“Liability-Certain person for compulsory service in the Territorial Army - Without prejudice to the provision contained in Section 6, every person employed under the Government or, in a public utility service who has attained the age of twenty years but has not completed the age of forty years, shall, subject to the other provisions contained in the section and subject to such rules as may be made in this behalf, be liable, when so required to do, to perform service in the Territorial Army.”

“Every officer or enrolled person shall be liable to perform military service - (a) when called out in the prescribed manner to act in support of the civil power or to provide essential guard: (b) when embodied in the prescribed manner for training or for supporting or supplementing the regular forces; and (c) when attached to any regular forces either at his own request or under the prescribed conditions.”

“Reinstatement in civil employ of person required to perform military service-(1) It shall be the duty of every employer by whom a person who is required to perform military service under section 7 was employed to reinstate him in his employment on the termination of the military service in an occupation and under conditions not less favourable to him than those which would have been applicable to him had his employment not been so interrupted.”

“Application of the Army Act 1950 (XLVI of 1950): every officer, when doing duty as such officer, and every enrolled person when called out or embodied or attached to the Regular Army shall, subject to such adaptations and modifications as may be made therein by the Central Government by notification in the official Gazette, be subject to the provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (XL VI of 1950) and the rules or regulations made there under in the same manner and to the same extent as if such officer or enrolled person held the same rank in the regular army as he holds for the time being in the Territorial Army.”

The TA has been constituted as a part-time military organisation for Indian citizens who are not professional soldiers but are civilians and may be pursuing professions, corporate jobs, occupations, trade, commerce, any form of government service whether state or central or public sector undertakings or otherwise.5 Citizens who have or could not join the regular armed forces but still have the passion to don military uniform or willing to contribute in the defence of their motherland can volunteer with the consent of their employers if any, or otherwise or self-declaration if engaged into professional or business activities, to serve the army on part-time basis. Recruitment in TA is also open to the former members of Indian armed forces who carry reserve liabilities. Once selected they are required to submit their previous service gratuity back to the exchequer, so as to claim the ante-date seniority of military service. All volunteers are engaged every year for a short spell of Annual Training Camp (ATC) so as to remain in touch with the nuances of soldiering. They can also volunteer for military courses of instructions in their spare time (Voluntary Training Attachments as VTA), and can also get experience of serving with the RA battalions, formations or headquarters. The training engagements are so planned that that it must facilitate the volunteers and must not hinder in their routine civilian occupations and commitments.

Method of Selection, Training and Placements

According to the TA Act Rule 1948, service in TA is open for Indian citizens with good moral character and between the ages of 18 to 40 year in case for enrolment in Railways, Port or Dock or Inland Water Transport and Electrical and Mechanical Engineer units; 18 to 45 years in case of enrolment in Posts and Telegraphs units including women; and 18 to 42 years in all other cases. Former military officers and other ranks are also eligible to apply with an age limit up to 45 years. Members of TA (who are also called as Territorial) carry a compulsory liability to serve on active military duty during national emergencies or requirements as notified by the Government of India. For enrolment as officers in the non-departmental units (infantry units on provincial or urban concept), candidates are required to submit applications to the TA group headquarters of respective army commands which are responsible to conduct the Preliminary Interview Board (PIB). The PIB is conducted in two parts. The written followed by personal interview of the candidates who have qualified in written examination. Written part comprises two papers; Paper I in English language and Paper II in General Ability. Both papers are qualifying in nature with minimum 50 per cent; but it also includes negative marking. It must be noted that candidates who qualify with minimum 50 per cent marks in Paper I are only eligible for assessment in Paper II. Else the candidature is rejected. Candidates who finally qualify in both written papers are required to appear before a panel of the board of officers for personal interview. This board is nominated by the respective command headquarters who make assessment of the candidates in Officers’ Like Qualities based on his or her background information. The final selected candidates of PIB are required to undergo the Services Selection Board (SSB) which is similar to officers’ selection in the regular armed forces of the Union of India. And lastly, recommended candidates of the SSB are allotted units in their respective command zone by the Director General of Territorial Army. Candidates for commission in the departmental units (such as Railways, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Bharat Petro Chemicals Limited, etc.) are required to apply through their respective organisation channels. These organizations have a TA cell which scrutinises the applications of candidates and recommend them to the respective/affiliated departmental units for interview and medical examinations. For enrolment as other ranks, candidates have to apply either directly to units of respective zones or to the recruitment offices of the RA. Selection criteria are similar to the RA standards.

Following are the command headquarters of TA:-

TA Group Headquarters, Eastern Command, Fort William, Kolkata (West Bengal).

TA Group Headquarters, Western Command, Chandigarh.

TA Group Headquarters, Northern Command, Udhampur (Jammu & Kashmir).

TA Group Headquarters, Southern Command, Pune (Maharashtra).

TA Group Headquarters, Central Command, Lucknow (UP).

Former military officers can directly apply to the Directorate General of TA, Integrated Headquarters of MOD (Army), New Delhi. They are not required to undergo the PIB or the SSB; however, a selection board is nominated for their re-commission in the TA. They are also granted an extension of three years for enrolment; that is, the maximum age limit is 45 years. Candidates who are graduates and are holding National Cadet Corps (NCC) ‘C’ certificates can also join as direct Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO). They are required to apply to the respective recruiting offices or the TA Group Headquarters or directly to the units. Enrolment as other ranks is done through units or the recruiting offices of the respective zones.

These zones are as under:-

Zone I. The states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi.

Zone II. The states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, UP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.

Zone III. The states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Sikkim, West Bengal, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar.

Zone IV. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.

Recommended candidates of all the branches of TA are commissioned as officers on the very first day of arrival on duty. They undergo the basic military training at respective units which lasts for 30 days. This is followed by the ATC with a maximum duration of 60 days; and Post Commission Training (PCT) at the Indian Military Academy (for non-departmental officers only) for 90 days. Before proceeding for the PCT, officer candidates also undergo Basic Military Training (BMT) at the TA Training Centre for 90 day. All can also volunteer for the army courses of instructions under VTA and service of permanent staff appointments. Officer candidates of the departmental-units do not undergo the BMT or the PCT at IMA; but the basic military training and the ATC at respective units. Former military officers re-commissioned in the TA do not undergo any training and are granted ante-date seniority of their previous military service. Candidates other than officers are required to undergo the basic military training at respective regimental centres of the Indian Army along with RA recruits. There is absolutely no difference in the training standards of these recruits in terms of duration as well.

On culmination of the basic training schedules, members of TA can pursue their respective civilian lives. All members carry a compulsory military liability during national emergencies; and can be penalised if do not report on call up notice. The Government of India can also issue notification for making service in the TA compulsory for all Government of India employees (who are engaged in public utility services barring few exceptions) if it deems necessary in the overall national interest.

Establishment of TA

The newly formed TA in 1948 comprised units of Infantry, Artillery (including Air Defence), Engineers, Signals, Army Medical Corps (AMC), Armoured Corps, Army Supply Corps (ASC), Ordinance, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME), Port, Docks and Inland Water Transport units. The railway units were added gradually. A total of 174 units were raised in a phased manner up to 1952. After the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars, key decisions were taken and majority of the TA battalions were either converted into RA battalions and few disbanded for services no longer required. Today, the TA comprises non-departmental units; primarily the infantry, both on urban and provincial concepts and departmental units such as ecological task forces, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) units, Hindustan Petro Chemicals Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petro Chemicals Limited (BPCL) and Railway Engineers units. In the year 2015, Engineer Regiments of TA were formed for the maintenance of the Line of Control at Jammu & Kashmir and a Composite Eco Task Force Battalion (National Mission for Clean Ganga) has also been raised and deployed at Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi. Basic establishment of TA involves the Directorate General of TA at Army Headquarters under the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Further downwards, the TA group headquarters are located with command headquarters to administer various TA units both departmental and non-departmental. Director General of TA is responsible for planning, mobilisation, training, administration and command and control matters at the Ministry of Defence level; and the group headquarters are responsible for implementation of such orders and policies down to unit level. The TA group headquarters are also responsible for interaction with civil organisations including government and private sector for promoting and coordinating the concept of TA. Commander TA group headquarters acts as an advisor to the respective army commanders at command headquarters on all TA matters. Government of India had appointed the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) post-independence to coordinate the matters of TA at national level. This high powered committee was headed by the Prime Minister of India. Similar to the CAC, State Advisory Committees (SAC) were appointed to function at state level. The SACs were disbanded in 1988 on the recommendations of the CAC which had observed that meetings of most of the SACs were not held regularly. However, the mechanism of CAC still remains relevant and legal despite not much of indulgence in TA matters which are now completely left to the army headquarters and group headquarters.

CHART 1.1: ESTABLISHMENT OF TA