The Samaikyandhra movement, which has been continuing for the last two-and-a-half months in different ways in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts, has showed its impact on Indian Army recruitment in Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian Army had plans of recruiting for different categories including soldier (general duty), soldier (technical, nursing assistant), soldier (medical assistant, clerk, store keeper and tradesman), HAV (surveyor auto cartographer, engineers), JCO (religious teacher and food management) and havildar education, from Secunderabad, Guntur and Visakhapatnam Army Recruiting Offices (AROs).
But the officials cancelled the process scheduled to be held from October 17 to 25 due to unfavourable conditions like poor security and transportation, erratic power supply and others created by the ongoing bandhs and strikes for united State.
Responding to a query, Col. Afsar Abbas Jafri, Director of Recruiting (Guntur) said: “Response to Army recruitment is always good and we end up getting around 50,000 applications every six months for different categories below the rank of officers. The Indian Army recruits nearly 1,500 soldiers from Guntur Army Recruiting Office (ARO) in each phase. Likewise, the other two offices in the State recruit soldiers by conducting rallies. But this time’s recruitment has been put off as it is difficult to conduct rallies during turbulent times.”
Elaborating further, Col. Jafri said that the quota allotted to Andhra Pradesh was 3,000 jobs. But due to the cancellation of recruitment rallies, the State has lost its share. “We are making all efforts to preserve our quota. However, the status of the jobs would be decided in January 2014,” he said.
Meanwhile, Army recruitment scheduled to be held in Kurnool, for which all the arrangements were in place, was cancelled as officials expressed inability to conduct the rally due to Samaikyandhra agitations.
