Crisis at IMA, NDA: Cadet strength at new low

In a development that has caused consternation in Defence circles, only 86 cadets have turned up for the 124th course of the Dehradun-based training academy that was supposed to churn out 250 young officers.

What’s even more worrying is that only 148 managed to cut the grade in the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination and the subsequent interviews conducted by the Army’s Service Selection Board (SSB). And of these, 62 candidates opted out and did not sign up for the course.

While the Army says that the number of applicants has not gone down, it concedes that there has been a downward trend in the quality of candidates applying for permanent commission over the past decade. This year, it seems to have hit rock bottom.

The tri-services National Defence Academy (NDA) is also grappling with a similar situation. Less than 200 cadets have joined up for the 119th course that started this month at the academy against its capacity of 300. Again, this is the first time ever that the number of cadets joining a batch at the academy has dipped below the 200 mark.

“The fact is that that today there are many avenues open to boys and girls and the Army is not one of the preferred ones amongst young people. The money they are getting for the kind of tough job they are doing is very, very meagre. Most importantly, the respect in society for the armed forces has gone down,” said General (retd) V P Malik, who was the Army Chief during the Kargil war.

The Army, which has high hopes from the Sixth Pay Commission, feels it is time that the situation is tackled and concrete steps are taken to prevent further deterioration.