INDIA. Mumbai: A Learning Centre and Gymnasium to facilitate training and recruitment in the Indian Armed Forces inaugurated in Satara. It is set up at Apshinge Military Village in Maharashtra and was inaugurated by Lt Gen Ajai Kumar Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Southern Command on Monday.
The facility centre in Satara has been set up at the cost of about Rs. 80 lakh, jointly by Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha and the South Indian Education Society, Mumbai, as part of Institutional Social Responsibility (ISR), to mobilise and equip the youth of Satara, Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur.
The inauguration was attended by Lt Gen H S Kahlon, GOC, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat area, Dr V Shankar, President, SIES and Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha, along with residents of Apsinghe Military Village, an official statement read.
Village Apsinghe and Karad in Satara district and other districts- Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur, have been the traditional centres providing youth for recruitment in the Indian Army.
Apshinge village has a population of approximately 3000 people. At least one member from the village’s 350 families serve in the military forces. During World War I, 46 Apsinghe Village warriors gave their life. In honour of their contributions, the British government constructed the “Vijay Sthambh” in Apshinge village’s centre.
Several men from this village also gave their lives during the 1962 Indo-China war, as well as the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. The children of the community are encouraged and groomed from an early age to pursue careers in the Indian Armed Forces.
In recognition of this unique contribution of the Apshinge Village, the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai, conferred the Sri Shanmukha Shaurya Ratna Award 2022 on the village and 75 war veterans from the village were honoured.
The recently implemented Agnipath Scheme for recruitment into the Indian Armed Forces necessitates tough eligibility requirements in addition to physical fitness. As a result, this centre is projected to be a good place to train and promote youth.
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