(Info) About: Territorial Army

Alike USA &UK India also have volunteer part time ARMY called TERRITORIAL ARMY many MP MLA Celebrities, are TA officers many civil  GOVT  officers from various DEPT \ORG are serving on part time basis in TA in the national interest & IMPORTANCE of security.

INTRODUCTION:

TERRITORIAL ARMY  was constituted by an Act called Territorial army Act 1948  Officers in the TERRITORIAL ARMY  are holding commission ,granted by the president of INDIA with designation of Rank corresponding to those of Indian commissioned officers of the regular Army

ROLE /DUTY/CONCEPT/OF TERRITORIAL ARMY

It is a second line of defense after the Regular INDIAN ARMY
The  Member of the Territorial Army are subject to INDIAN ARMY ACT 1950 governed by the same GOI,,DEFENSE SERVICE REGULATION, regulations for the ARMY PENSION REGULATIONS  1961 etc as applicable to the corresponding personnel’s of the India Army   As per Government Order dated 30.10.1987 which clarified that all the members of Territorial “Army will be entitled to same benefits as made applicable to Indian Army and this matter has been further clarified by the Government Order dated 03.02.1998.   Accordingly  Armed Forces Tribunal, Principal Bench at, New Delhi Order dated 19.02.2010 granted late entrant pension to the TERRITORIAL  Army Officer vide Army pension regulation applicable to Territorial Army equally to their counterparts in Regular Army. AS per DG E&T ministry of labor & EMPLOYMENT.

Service Manual Part 1
Normally two types of personnel are employed in the Territorial Army, those employed on a part-time basis , and those employed on a full-time basis on the permanent establishment. Obviously, persons falling in the first category and discharged from the Territorial Army should not be considered as Ex-Servicemen . As regards persons of the second category ,most of them are either Ex-Servicemen or ex-officers of the Armed Forces reemployed and as such, they continue to be Ex-Servicemen on discharge form the Territorial Army. There may be a few who are not Ex-Servicemen but employed on the permanent staff. These persons who are engaged on the permanent staff for a limited number of years should be considered as Discharged Central Government Employees 11.38 Persons engaged on the permanent staff of the Territorial Army service for varying periods, and on discharge some of them revert to part-time employment in the Territorial Army itself.

This part time employment only means a period of training, the duration of which may range from 30 to 60 days in a year. Persons who serve on the Permanent staff for a period of Six months or more and who on discharge revert to part-time employment in the Territorial Army are to be considered as Discharged Central Government Employees. The term Part time  volunteer force  is subjective, depending on what is considered similar to a Military Force, and what status a Force is considered to have. The nature of TASK therefore varies greatly according to the speaker and the context. 11.39 During the Emergency, Territorial Army units were called up for full-time service and Territorial Army personnel were embodied for service in these units. These personnel on disembodiment have reverted to part-time service for long periods.  Though, they were not in the permanent establishment of the Territorial Army, they should be considered as Discharged Central Government Employees, provided they were employed on a full-time basis against regular establishment for a continuous period of six months or more. 11.40 Considering the useful training and experience acquired duringthe service with the Territorial Army NESM/ Part.I/Vol.I 75the , Employment Officers should make special efforts to place ex-Territorial Army Personnel in suitable alternative employment.

HISTORY

The modern Territorial Army was formally inaugurated by the first Indian Governor General Shri C. Rajagopalachari on October 9, 1949 after the Independence Territorial Army Act was passed in 1948. October 9 is celebrated as Prime Minister’s Territorial Army Day Parade The Territorial Army initially had various types of units such as Armoured Regiment, Infantry Battalion, Air Defence, Medical Regiment, Engineers Field Park Coy, Signal Regiment, EME Workshop, Coast Battery, ASC GT Coy, ASC Compo Pl, and AMC Field Ambulance. By 1972 these units were either disbanded or converted to Regular Army units with the exception of Infantry Battalions. Territorial Army units were actively involved in military operations in 1962, 1965 and 1971 . The “Terriers” have also taken part in Operation Pawan in Srilanka, Operation Rakshak in Punjab & J&K, Operation Rhino and Operation Bajrang in the North East. Departmental units came to the aid of the civil authorities during industrial unrest and natural calamities, most famous being earthquake in Latoor (Maharastra), Uttarkashi in Garhwal Himalaya and the super cyclone in Orissa. The Ecological units have arrested man made environmental degradation by planting 2.5 crore trees over 20,000 hectare of land in Mussoori Hills & Pithoragarh (UP), Bikaner & Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) and ravines of Chambal in Madhya Pradesh.

Territorial Army is part of the regular Indian Army. The present role of the Territorial Army is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the security of the country is threatened, and to provide units for the Regular Army as and when required. Presently the Territorial Army has a strength of approximately 40,000 first line troops (and 160,000 second line troops) comprising departmental Territorial Army units such as Railway, IOC, ONGC, Telecommunication and General Hospital, and the non Departmental Territorial Army units of Infantry Battalion and Ecological Battalion affiliated to various Infantry Regiments. -

Services of Territorial army  personnel when compared to other armed personnel is  neither inferior nor services required by the Armed Forces are superior to Territorial army  . When this is the position, to deny the status of  EXSERVICEMAN to Honorably  RETIRED  Defense personnel’s of  territorial army is wholly arbitrary, discriminatory and violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. " Territorial army is an integral part of Armed Forces", for the purpose of Article 33 of the Constitution of India.

AS PER REGULATIONS FOR THE ARMY The Army is composed o those who have undertaken aa definite liability for military service, viz, combatant troops, administrative service/departments and enrolled non-combatants-The Army Comprises-. The Regular Army; The Army Reserve and The Territorial Army

ROLE /DUTY/CONCEPT/OF TERRITORIAL ARMY

AS PER ARMY ORDER 77/1984 – The Territorial Army is part of the regular Indian Army.   The present role of the Territorial Army is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where like of the communities is affected or the security of the country is threatened, and to provide units for the Regular Army as and when required.

As per ARMY order 370/1970-  Territorial Army Personnel shall be treated as retrenched Central Govt. Employees for purpose of orders contained in M/O Home Affairs No. 4/13/54/RPS dated 14th Jan 1955 provided they have serviced on the pmt staff of a TA unit or have been  embodied for service under TA Rule 33for a continuous period of not less then 6 month for this purpose  of Age relaxation their entire period of embodiment (embodied) Service including broken periods in the Territorial Army shall be taken into account.

TERRITORIAL ARMY  is undoubtedly intended primarily to support the Indian army in its operational requirement.  Regular Army personnel are posted in TA units according to a carefully planned manning policy so that TA units can in times of war or hostilities be able to provide effective support to the Army .TA  is a  Force  under the direct command of INDIAN ARMY being an integral part of it, & the function\ Role  and organization are similar to those of  INDIAN ARMY. In today’s difficult situation the security and safety of the countrymen is not only into the hands of valiant men of Indian Army. The security and integrity of Indian borders in JAMMU & KASHMIR  and in NORTH EAST are being dealt by valiant men working voluntarily on full time basis in various permanent  staff appointments in TERRITORIAL ARMY     units on LOC,& IN COUNTER INSURGENCEY effected areas with lateral coordination with RR battalions and are  other Military Forces

i) In Section 3:-
(a) For Clause (v) the following clause shall be substituted namely:-v) xxxxx
(b) In Clause (xii) after the words "or the Territorial Army" of a person belonging to the General Reserve Engineer Force holding therein a position equivalent to that of Junior Commissioned Officer of the "Regular Army" shall be inserted."

Annexure-C also further clarifies the position, which reads as under:-
"Sub: DECLARATION OF ALL PERSONS SUBJECT TO ARMY ACT AS ON ACTIVE SERVICE.
1. Orders have been issued vide Govt. of India, Ministry of Defence Gazette Notification No. 6-E dated 28 Nov.62 (Army Order 517/62- refers) that all persons subject to Army Act, shall wherever they may be serving, be deemed to be active service within the meaning of Section 9 of the Army Act read in conjunction with Clause (i) of Army Act Section 3.

2. Since Army Act Sections 3 and 9 are both applicable in the case of Territorial army  personnel. provisions of aforesaid Gazette Notification will equally apply in the case of Territorial army personnel, it has been clarified vide- TERRITORIAL ARMY ACT Personnel being subject to Army Act, the provisions of Ministry of Defence l equally apply to them"

The history, composition, administration, organization and role of territorial army  clearly shows that TA  is an integral part of the Armed Forces and the Members of TA can legitimately be said to be members of the Armed Forces within the meaning of Article 33. It is undoubtedly a departmental construction agency as contended on contended on behalf of the petitioners but it is distinct from other construction agencies such as Citizens army volunteer force\part time army etc., in that it is a force intended primarily to support the army in its operational requirement. Army personnel are posted in TA units according to a carefully planned manning policy so that TA units can in times of war or hostilities be able to provide effective support to the Army. The Tenure of Officer of Regular Army personnel in TA units is regarded as normal regimental duty and is equated with similar appointments in the Army for the -purpose of promotion, career planning etc. Even the directly recruited personnel of TA are given training at the ARMY REGIMENTAL  Centre before they are posted and the training given is in three military infantry units. Thus the functions and duties of TA are integrally connected with the operational plans and requirements of the ARMED FORCES and the members of TA are "Integral to the Armed Forces". There can be no doubt that without the efficient and disciplined optional role of TA the military operations in border & insurgency effected\militancy infested  areas during peace as also in times of war will be seriously hampered and a highly disciplined and efficient TA is absolutely essential for supporting the operational plans and meeting operational requirements of the Armed Forces. Therefore, it can be said that the members of TA answer the description of "members of the Armed Forces" within the meaning of Article 33 and consequently the application of Section 21 of the Army Act to the members of TA can be said to be protected by that Article and the fundamental rights of the members of TA can be said to be validly restricted by Section 21 read with rules 19 to 21 of the Army Rules."

There is no denying the fact that the TERRITORIAL ARMY India are playing an indispensable role in maintaining the national security. its personnel are performing highly arduous and life threatening duties while maintaining vigil on the Borders and carrying out operations against militants, extremists and terrorists for Internal Security all over the Country round the year. The troops of the TERRITORIAL ARMY   are deployed in inhospitable terrains under adverse climatic conditions in inaccessible areas of J&K at a height of 20,000 feet and in -30 C  temperature,  the Northeast Regions, deserts of Rajas than as well as the extremists affected volatile States. 

The operational responsibilities of the TERRITORIAL ARMY    are similar in nature to those of the Army. Soldiers of TERRITORIAL ARMY  and the Army fight shoulder to shoulder the enemy.

The closing ceremony for 13 Territorial Army Officers was held on completion of their 13 weeks of post commission training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) here yesterday. Territorial Army officers after two to four years tenure at their respective Territorial Army battalions undergo training at the IMA. On the occasion, the chief guest Major-Gen GS Bal SM, VSM Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor, IMA, gave away the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose medal for the 1st in order of merit to Lt SK Bansal. This is the XI course, which underwent the post-commissioned training at the IMA. The ceremony was also attended by the proud parents and relatives of the Territorial Army officers.

Contributed By: LT Colonel Rajinder Singh Shekhawat