District Defense Services Welfare Officer Colonel (Retd.) M. S. Randhawa said that a pre-recruitment training course is being started on February 20 only for the children of Punjab for recruitment in the army and paramilitary forces at the pre-recruitment centre of the department. The aim is to enable children of serving soldiers, ex-servicemen, and other categories of soldiers in the Army to join the Army, paramilitary forces, and police. This course will last 45 days. During this time, students will be prepared to meet the standard required for physical admission. He said that students will also be made to prepare for the written examination.

Divulging the details of eligibility, Lt Col M S Randhawa said that for recruitment of a soldier in the Army, the age of the candidate should be 17.5 to 21 years, his height should be 170 cm, his chest should be 77 to 82 cm, and his weight should be 50 kg, and he should have passed with a total of 45 percent in class X and 33 percent in each subject. For the recruitment of clerks and SKTs, candidates must be between 17 and a half and 23 years old, with a height of at least 162 cm. Candidates must have passed English and mathematics, accounting, and bookkeeping subjects with 50 percent marks.

He said that interested candidates can get their names registered at the district defence services welfare office in Patiala, a nearby railway station, by taking their education certificate, passport-size photo, discharge book (only for children of ex-servicemen), and, for SC caste candidates, their caste certificate.

He has also informed that only candidates from Patiala district can join this training. The pre-recruitment centre has an all-weather track for training and the necessary equipment for the training. On any working day, call 0175-2361188 or 7888-343525 for more information.