Vijay Mohan
Chandigarh, February 3
Punjab, referred to as the sword arm of the nation, has the second highest number of ex-servicemen in the country after Uttar Pradesh. While Punjab is ranked 16th among all states according to their share of the national population, it is the second highest contributor of troops to the Army.
The strength of registered ex-servicemen in Punjab is 3,27,212, according to data placed in Parliament by the Ministry of Defence on Friday. Uttar Pradesh has 4,04,362 ex-servicemen.
Punjab contributes a significant chunk of manpower to the armed forces. Three illustrious Infantry regiments – the Punjab Regiment, Sikh Regiment and Sikh Light Infantry – draw the bulk of their rank and file from Punjab.
In addition, troops from Punjab also form a large component of otherarms and services, with many squadrons, batteries and companies in the fighting elements comprising soldiers exclusively from Punjab.
According to data laid in Parliament by the Ministry of Defence earlier, troops from Punjab comprise about eight percent of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the Army, whereas the state’s share of the national population is 2.29 percent.
Troops from Uttar Pradesh – India’s most populous state, form about 14 percent of the PBOR strength whereas it accounts for 16.51 percent of the national population. These figures do not include Air Force and Navy strength.
Punjab is followed by Rajasthan with 2,03,275 ex-servicemen and Maharashtra with 1,94,986, according to a statement made by the Minister of State for Defence, Ajay Bhatt in the Lok Sabha. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand are other states that have a high population of ex-servicemen.
Two other states in the region – Haryana and Himachal Pradesh – which also have strong martial traditions, have 1,66,279 and 1,24,766 ex-servicemen, respectively. The Jat Regiment and the Dogra Regiment draw the bulk of their troops from these two states.