The ongoing Army recruitment drive being conducted at the Nehru stadium here has drawn an enthusiastic response from a large number of aspirants.
Organised by the Army Recruitment Office (ARO), Thiruvananthapuram, under the aegis of the Headquarters Recruiting Zone (HRZ), Bangalore, the rally had begun on May 19 and will conclude on May 25. The drive is the first of its kind that is being conducted for candidates hailing from the seven districts of South Kerala for the recruiting year 2011-2012.
Long queues of participants from the various districts were witnessed daily at the stadium from 5 a.m. since the commencement of the rally.
According to Col. P.K. Rawat, director of the ARO, approximately 5,000 candidates have been screened at the recruitment drive as of yet. The response in this rally has been overwhelming, he remarked.
He also said that the rally is being organised in cooperation with the district administration here. To ensure transparency, the screening team has been brought from the ARO, Kozhikode, and officers and personnel from the various Army units.
Moreover, the Army Medical Officers have been detailed from six different stations for carrying out the medical examinations.
The recruitment was being conducted for the categories of soldier technical, soldier nursing assistant, soldier clerk/store keeper technical, soldier tradesman categories, and re-enrolment of ex-servicemen into the Defence Service Corps (DSC).
Col. Rawat said the medical examinations and documentation for those candidates who have been declared eligible will be conducted on May 24 and 25. The common entrance examination for selected candidates will be held at the ARO, Thiruvananthapuram, on July 31.
The recruiting organisation of the Army also cautioned the public and candidates against being misled by ‘agents', who claim to facilitate recruitment for candidates in return for money or other favours. The sole criterion for selection is merit, the Army said.
