Second Career Needed for Army Officers Due to E

PUDUCHERRY: The Indian Army is facing a shortage of 22 to 24 per cent in officer ranks, said Lt General Mukesh Sabharwal here on Friday.He was speaking to reporters after handing over formal admission certificates to the Army officers selected for various courses in Pondicherry University.  On the admission of officers to the PU courses, he said the Army officers retired at an early age and “there was a need to empower them to have a second career”.The new Officers Training Academy at Gaya in Bihar would help reduce the problem of shortage in the force to a certain extent, but it would take time to increase the numbers, he said.Eleven Army personnel had been selected for admission to various courses like Ph D in Management, Mass Communication and Education, South Asian studies and MBA in International Business under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Integrated Headquarters of Army, Ministry of Defence and PU.Lieutenant General Sabharwal said that the Indian Army was geared up to face any exigency along the border.  He said the Army remained intact despite the proxy wars that it had been fighting for many decades.  Professor Vijay Kapur, IGNOU advisor, said the admission of an Army officer would serve as an interface between the Army and civilians and hoped that this pioneering spirit would followed up by others in the coming years.He also revealed that students from Pakistan would attend courses at the Pondicherry University’s Centre for South Asian Studies.Professor Ramadass, director of studies, educational innovations and rural reconstruction, said that this was the first time a Central university had responded to national call by offering courses for those protecting the borders.He said as per the MoU, 45 Army officers would be admitted for various courses and the training programme would help them understand Indian society and life better.Ramadass said PU, which was making a rapid progress, had now been ranked fourth in the “impact factor”.