Kanker: The Jungle Warfare College, one of the country’s largest military training centres, is currently imparting free training to Chhattisgarh youth, both men and women, to make them ready for the army and police forces.
The initiative, which started almost eight months ago, is aimed at providing opportunities for rural youth amid a lack of resources and guidance for various competitive and recruitment exams.
“The training program aims to upgrade and empower youth from interior areas of Chhattisgarh to overcome various constraints and prepare for armed forces,” said Amar Singh Kurre, who is DSP at the college.
“At least 150 youth of the state’s rural areas have already benefitted from the training program,” he said.
Success Stories
According to locals, the training not only makes the youth ready for the competitive exams but also encourages them to serve the country with the spirit of the armed forces.
Anil Yadav, a resident of Imalipara village, said that he wasn't aware of the recruitment process, but after joining the training provided by the college, he gained vast knowledge about the field.
“After joining the training, I understand every detail of the recruitment process. I come here daily and take training. I also appeal to other youth to join this prestigious college,” he said.
Another trainee, Amit Kumar, who hails from Naxal-affected Amabeda, expressed similar views, saying, “The training gives us insight into the recruitment process, and we're thankful to the authorities for the opportunity.”
A Sub-Inspector exam aspirant, Bireshwari Kurre, said he was able to perform well in the exam after training at the warfare college. “ I credit my selection to the school, trainers, and administration, as it helped me get into the armed forces,” he said.
Combatting Naxalism
Amid the challenge of Naxalism, the Jungle Warfare College is considered a key institute, helping forces fight extremist groups in Bastar.
For the past six months, there have been consistent successes on the Naxal front in Bastar as the school provided guerrilla warfare training to the men who joined Bastar Fighter Forces.
The forces are also battling Naxalites in Bastar's ravines and are having consistent success in Naxal operations. This training centre has trained several IAS and IFS officers. Many troops, including women commandos, have been trained here and are currently serving their nation.
Empowering Young Women
Not just men, rural women also benefitted from the opportunity, as many of them joined training alongside their male counterparts.
“Our routine was to roam on roads and waste time, but after joining the training, we received training and have high spirits to do something for our people and country," said a young woman from Aturgaon.
She said the initiative for both men and women was great, as “no one should be left behind.”.
‘Naxal-Free Area’
Amid the training camps for youth, police said there had been no Naxal activity in Kanker for a long time, due to which they had decided to remove their Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) camp from the area so that it could be shifted to another Naxal area.
However, villagers opposed the move and expressed their anger. They started a movement demanding “not to remove the camp.”
Following this, the police department assured that the camp would not be removed at the moment.
People have been living in terror for a long time. Many villagers have been killed by Naxalites. From morning to night, our lives were spent in the shadow of fear of Naxalites, but since the police opened a camp here, we have learnt to live freely,” said a villager.
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