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TERRITORIAL ARMY

Every Territorial is twice a citizen, once when he does his ordinary job and the second time when he dons his uniform and plays his part in defence - Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC.

We need and value the commitment of the many thousands of individuals who volunteer to defend the country from internal and external threat in addition to pursuing careers and interests in civilian life - General Joginder Jaswant Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC.

The Territorial Army (TA) is a voluntary part-time civilian force which plays a useful role in the defence of the country. It provides an opportunity to civilians to receive military training and also provides the country with a reserve force that can assist the Regular Army during operations, whenever required. The Territorial Army Act 1948 was passed by the Indian Parliament resulting in the constitution of the present Territorial Army. Since its inception on 09 October 1949, it has rendered valuable service, both in times of war and during internal disturbances.

The role of the Territorial Army is;
• To relieve the Regular Army of static duties and support the civil power if required.
• To provide units for coastal defence and anti-aircraft defence of the country.
• To provide units of the regular army when required.

The TA is composed of all arms and services - Infantry, artillery, engineers, signals, service corps, medical and ordnance. It is organised into two different units - provincial and urban. Urban units are raised in big towns and personnel undergo weekly training. To encourage participation of the villagers also the other type of units enrol personnel from the rural areas. Two months annual training camps are held for such people so that they are free to attend to their vocation during the rest of the year. Both in the event of a war and an emergency, the TA is embodied according to requirements. On such occasions the units are on the same footing as the Regular Army for all purposes including pay and allowances for the personnel.  The TA personnel are given additional facilities for joining the Regular Army commissions and a certain percentage of these vacancies are reserved at the Military Academy.

Training teams are organised all over the country to impart basic military training to all able bodied citizens of the country between the ages of 18 to 40 years with a view to making them disciplined & self-reliant and to instill in them a desire for a national service. During a period of one month they are also given rifle training. At the end of the camps trainees are given certificates, but they have no liability for active service. The TA consists of Departmental and Non-Departmental units. Departmental TA units are raised from amongst the employees of government departments and public sector undertakings. There are also ecological battalions known as the Eco-Task Forces, which come under the Departmental TA units.

As a result of internal disturbances/terrorist activities in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and other states and the prevailing conditions along the northern and western borders, the TA has, of late been called upon to play an active role in assisting the Regular Army formations in these areas. As a result, all the 25 TA Infantry Battalions have been embodied since 1990-91, for varying periods. The TA's Eco Task Forces have continued their excellent work of environmental upgradation of the degraded areas in Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In consultation with the Ministry of Environment & Forests, several steps aimed at reducing the cost of these Eco Task Forces, without actually lowering their output or efficiency, have been taken up. For their gallantry and distinguished services, TA personnel have been honoured with two Ati Vishist Seva Medals awards, 22 Vishist Seva Medal awards, five Vir Chakra medals, 23 Sena Medal awards and a number of other decorations.

TA Group Headquarters

• TA GP HQ, Southern Command - Pune
• TA GP HQ, Eastern Command - Calcutta
• TA GP HQ, Western Command - Chandigarh
• TA GP HQ, Central Command - Lucknow
• Dir DSC, Northern Command - c/o 56 APO

Departmental Units

01] 968 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Ludhiana
02] 969 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Jamalpur
03] 970 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Jhansi
04] 971 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Delhi
05] 972 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Muzaffarpur
06] 1031 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Kota
07] 1032 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Adra
08] 1034 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Banglore
09] 1101 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Chandigarh
10] 1103 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Kota
11] 1105 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Secunderabad
12] 1051 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Ludhiana
13] 1052 Railway Engineer Regiment (TA) - Adra
14] General Hospital (TA) (500 Beds) - Kolkata
15] General Hospital (TA) (400 Beds) - Allahabad
16] General Hospital (TA) (300 Beds) - Jaipur
17] General Hospital (TA) (300 Beds) - Patiala
18] General Hospital (TA) (300 Beds) - Gauhati
19] General Hospital (TA) (300 Beds) - Ahmadabad
20] General Hospital (TA) (400 Beds) - Rothak
21] 414 ASC Battalion Mktg (TA) - Kamptee
22] 777 Signal Regiment Telecom (TA) - Mhow
23] 801 Engineer Regiment R&P (TA) - Agra
24] 811 Engineer Regiment ONGC (TA) - Baroda

Non-Departmental Units

01] 101 Infantry Battalion (TA) Maratha LI - Pune
02] 102 Infantry Battalion (TA) Punjab - Kalka
03] 103 Infantry Battalion (TA) Sikh LI - Ludhiana
04] 105 Infantry Battalion (TA) Rajputana Rifles - Delhi Cantonment
05] 106 Infantry Battalion (TA) Para - Banglore
06] 107 Infantry Battalion (TA) 11 Gorkha Rifles - Darjeeling
07] 108 Infantry Battalion (TA) Mahar - Saugor
08] 109 Infantry Battalion (TA) Maratha LI - Kolhapur
09] 110 Infantry Battalion (TA) Madras - Coimbatore
10] 111 Infantry Battalion (TA) Kumaon - Allahabad
11] 112 Infantry Battalion (TA) Dogra - Jalandhar
12] 113 Infantry Battalion (TA) Rajput - Calcutta
13] 114 Infantry Battalion (TA) Jat - Fatehgarh
14] 115 Infantry Battalion (TA) Mahar - Belgaum
15] 116 Infantry Battalion (TA) Para - Deolali
16] 117 Infantry Battalion (TA) Guards - Tiruchi
17] 118 Infantry Battalion (TA) Grenadiers - Nagpur
18] 119 Infantry Battalion (TA) Assam - Shillong
19] 120 Infantry Battalion (TA) Bihar - Bhubaneswar
20] 121 Infantry Battalion (TA) Garhwal Rifles - Calcutta
21] 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) Madras Cannanore
22] 123 Infantry Battalion (TA) Grenadiers Jaipur
23] 124 Infantry Battalion (TA) Sikh - New Delhi
24] 125 Infantry Battalion (TA) Guards - Secunderabad
25] 126 Infantry Battalion (TA) JAK Rifles - c/o 56 APO
26] 150 Infantry Battalion (TA) Punjab - Delhi
27] 151 Infantry Battalion (TA) Jat - Muzaffarpur
28] 152 Infantry Battalion (TA) Sikh - Ludhiana
29] 153 Infantry Battalion (TA) Dogra - Meerut
30] 154 Infantry Battalion (TA) Bihar - Brichgunj (Port Balair)
31] 155 Infantry Battalion (TA) JAK Rifles - Sujanpur
32] 156 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) Punjab - Rajouri
33] 157 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) Sikh - BD Bari
34] 158 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) Sikh LI - Janlot
35] 159 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) Dogra - Thalela
36] 160 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) JAK Rifles - Kupwara
37] 161 Infantry Battalion (TA) (H&H) JAK LI - Baramula

Ecological Battalions

1] 127 Infantry Battalion (TA) Garhwal Rifles Eco - Dehradun
2] 128 Infantry Battalion (TA) Rajputana Rifles Eco - Bikaner
3] 129 Infantry Battalion (TA) JAK LI Eco - Samba
4] 130 Infantry Battalion (TA) Kumaon Eco - Pithoragarh
5] 131 Infantry Battalion (TA) Rajput Eco - Gwalior
6] 132 Infantry Battalion (TA) Eco - Bhatti Mines, Delhi

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