How to Join Territorial Army as an Officer in India?

What is the Territorial Army?

Territorial Army (TA), often regarded as the second line of defence is part of the Indian Army. It is amongst the military forces that can be mobilized during an emergency situation. The territorial army allows young men to serve the nation in two ways - as a soldier and as a civilian.

This is an important opportunity as a person can serve the nation without losing his/her job.

Who is Eligible for TA:

The given table shows the eligibility criteria to apply for the Territorial Army (TA)

Note: The people who are serving in army/navy/air force/paramilitary/police/GREF are not eligible to apply for TA

This means that you should be already employed in any other profession to be eligible to apply for the territorial army.

You also need to take a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from your superiors to appear for the interview.

A person who is running a business or is self-employed needs to submit an affidavit mentioning the nature of employment as well as his annual income along with PAN card details.

How to Join Territorial Army?

Selection Process:

Candidates whose applications are found correct will be allowed to appear for a written exam. Those students who qualify for the exam will appear in front of the Preliminary Interview Board (PIB) in respective Territorial Army Group Headquarters.

Syllabus for Exam, Number of Question:

There is a negative marking for each wrong answer. The candidates need to score a minimum of 40% marks in each paper and an overall 50% marks to qualify.

After getting shortlisted from the PIB, students will then appear for an SSB interview in the respective selection boards and further for medicals.

Note: Candidates who are Ex-service officers can also apply for TA:

They need to apply by sending their applications directly to Addl. Directorate General TA, Integrated IHQ MOD (Army), L-Block, New Delhi - 110001.

They also need to submit a copy of the release order and release medical order.

Written Exam Centres:

The test is conducted at 5 TA written exam centers:

Pay and Perks of Territorial Army:

• The selected candidate then undergo one month of basic training in the first year of commission. After commissioning, they are granted the rank of Lieutenant.
• The candidate then undergoes 2 months of annual training every year including the first year.
• There is also a 3 months post commissioning training within first 2 years at IMA, Dehradun.
• The salary and allowances will be the same as the regular army officers when embodied for training & military service.
• The promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel is time scale as laid down by the criteria. While promotion to Colonel and Brigadier is by selection.

Below is the pay scale of the officer in the TA:

Territorial Army Units:

They are classified into the following categories:

1. Departmental units:

• Railway Engineer Regiment
• General Hospitals
• Oil & Natural Gas Pipelines

2. Non Departmental units:

• Infantry Battalions
• Ecological Battalions

Awards & Recognition:

The Territorial Army has been decorated with many awards for their gallantry & distinguished services.

They have earned a total of 2 Ati Vishisth Seva Medals (AVSM), 15 Vishisth Seva Medals (VSM), 5 Vir Chakra (VrC), 13 Sena Medals (SM) and 43 COAS Commendation Cards.

For more information of the description regarding the Medals Check out the link Below:

Distinguished Personnel serving in Territorial Army:

There are many distinguished personalities that are serving the armed forces:

1. Mohan Lal - Actor
2. Sachin Pilot - Politician
3. Sachin Tendulkar - Cricketer
4. Abhinav Bindra - Shooter
5. MS Dhoni - Cricketer
6. Kapil Dev - Cricketer
7. Anurag Thakur - Politician

^{Img source: Indian Express}

• Territorial Army 2021: Eligibility Criteria and Selection Process

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