Centre gives orders to activate 14 battalions of the Territorial Army amid tension with Pakistan. What does it mean?
As conflict with Pakistan escalates, the Ministry of Defence has authorised the Chief of the Army Staff to call upon members of the Territorial Army (TA) for active duty under Rule 33 of the Territorial Army Rule, 1948. The notification dated May 6, 2025, has sanctioned 14 out of the existing 32 Infantry Battalions of the Territorial Army.
As per the Ministry of Defence order, the Chief of Army Staff units may be deployed across various commands, including the Southern, Eastern, Western, Central, Northern, South Western, Andaman and Nicobar, and the Army Training Command.
What is the Territorial Army?
There are a total of 31 infantry battalions for the Territorial Army, known as India's second line of defence. The Territorial Army consists of citizens from various walks of life who are otherwise engaged in other professions. Some of the famous names include actor Mohanlal, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Territorial Army has been constituted to help the Indian Army handle non-combat duties, including assisting in emergencies and essential services. They serve as a critical auxiliary to India's armed forces.
The Territorial Army was formed in 1949 to augment the regular army and to relieve the force from static duties and assist the civil administration.
As per records, the Territorial Army comprises around 50,000 personnel, including 65 Departmental units and non-departmental infantry and engineer battalions.
What will they do?
They will provide essential guard or support and supplement the regular Army. They have specialised units that oversee ecological work on environmental projects, too. While their service could be used for maintenance of essential services, including in Kashmir, where the lives of communities are affected or security of the country is threatened, the TA can also be used to provide units for the regular Army as and when required.
The TA had actively taken part in several military operations such as in Operation Pawan, a military operation conducted by the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka to take control of the Jaffna Peninsula from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Operation Rakshak in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, a long-standing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operation conducted by the Indian Army.
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