THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Army is going the e-way for simplifying its recruitment procedures. The Army has already made online registration compulsory for attending recruitment rallies and from April 1, 2016, the entire system will undergo a complete overhaul.
“Now, online registration has been introduced in Kerala also, and this forms Phase I of the changes that are being made. Candidates planning to attend recruitment rallies should now register on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in,” Colonel Yogesh Rajadhyaksha, director, Army Recruiting, Thiruvananthapuram, said here on Tuesday.
In effect, the Army has done away with the ‘walk-in’ system, in which a candidate reported at the venue, took a token and attended the rally. When Phase II is implemented starting April 1, 2016, candidates must register online, attend a common entrance test online at the designated centre and then report for the physical and medical tests.
For the first time in Kerala, online registration has been opened for the recruitment rally for the seven northern districts to be held in Malappuram on October 29. For the seven districts in the southern region, the online system will be introduced for the first time for the rally planned in Kottayam from December 10 to December 18, Rajadhyaksha said. The registration will begin on October 11 and will be closed on November 24.
“For introducing youngsters to the new facility, we plan to hold a ‘registration mela’ at the Army Recruitment Office, Thiruvananthapuram, in October,” he said. Candidates from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts can attend the event on October 16; those from Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha on October 17 and candidates from Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam on October 19. In the new system, the candidates will have to have an e-mail ID as well as a mobile phone number.
‘NEW SYSTEM WILL REDUCE HASSLES’
The new recruitment system will reduce hassles both for the Army and the candidates, and provide the former with a solid database, which will help it pinpoint medically unfit candidates, Army officials said. At present, 8,000 or more candidates turn up at a venue, making the whole process an exhausting one for the Army, the civil administration and the candidates.
“Now, we will be able to reduce the number to, say, 200 a day,” said Colonel Yogesh Rajadhyaksha. In the present system, since rallies start very early in the morning, the candidates from other districts had to run from pillar to post to find accommodation and food.
The ‘e-system’ will speed up the entire process. Kerala is one of the ‘high-response’ states for the Army as far as recruitment is concerned. Every year, 5,000-6,000 candidates join the Army from the state.