A fun fair was organised by the Poona Sub-area authorities to make collections, for the Soldiers’ Welfare Fund in Poona recently. Mrs. Shrinagesh, wife of Lieut-General SM Shrinagesh, GOC- in-C of the Southern Command, formally declared open the function.

About thirty stalls, including one put up by the Express Newspapers Group, and an extensive amusement park with a number of cafeterias, formed part of the fun fair.

All the local Army Units in Poona participated. The stalls representing the Ordnance Station Dehu; AMC Centre, South; College of Military Engineering; Bombay Engineers’ Group; Southern Command Signal Regiment; Military Hospital Poona; Queen Mary’s Technical School for Disabled Soldiers; the Jat Regiment and the Station Workshop, displayed the products made at their respective Family Welfare Centres.

Lieut-General SM Shrinagesh, GOC-in-C of the Southern Command and Mrs Shrinagesh were received and conducted round by Brigadier MK Sherieff, the Sub Area Commander, of Poona and Mrs Sherieff.

At the fourth meeting of the Central Advisory Committee for the Territorial Army, held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, it was revealed that the deficiency which had existed in the strength of the Territorial Army since its inception in 1949 had been made up to the extent of over 96 per cent of the authorised strength.

Sri Mahavir Tyagi, the Minister of Defence Organisation; Sardar Surjit Singh Majithia and Sri Satish Chandra, Deputy Defence Ministers; Sri MK Vellodi, Secretary, Ministry of Defence; General Rajendrasinhji. Chief of Army Staff and C-in-C of the Army; were also present at the meeting.

The committee appreciated the co-operation and assistance rendered to military authorities by the various departments of the Central and State Governments, as well as private commerical organisations, in making up the existing Territorial Army deficiencies.

The committee decided that the Auxiliary Territorial Force should be redesignated as National Volunteer Force with its scope and extent of training greatly enlarged and broad-based. It is proposed to train 500,000 men under the new scheme. It is also proposed to pay special attention to people living in border areas. The main purpose of the scheme will continue to be to inculcate discipline and create self-confidence among the people.

Under the new scheme training will be given for a period of 30 days. The Auxiliary Territorial Force camps last for 14 days for rural units and 20 days for urban units. In addition to giving elementary military training the National Volunteer Force will also conduct literacy drives among recruits.

It is proposed to keep a record of trainees who distinguish themselves during the period of training. They may be awarded certificates of merit and given other recognition.

In selecting the sites for the camps, preference will be given to community project areas, particularly where the community project authorities offer the necessary facilities.

A three-day conference of Air Force Recruiting Adjutants was held at Air Headquarters recently. Air Marshal S. Mukerjee, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force was in the chair. Air Force Recruiting Adjutants from Delhi, Calcutta, Kanpur, Tambaram, Bombay, Jorhat, Bangalore, Ambala, Manauri, Poona, Jodhpur and Pulgaon attended the conference.

Sri Mahavir Tyagi, the Minister for Defence Organization also addressed the conference. Referring to his recent visit to the Air Force establishments in Kanpur he said that he was very much impressed with the efficiency and standard of training in the Air Force. He especially congratulated the officers and men on cultivating healthy and cordial relationship with the workers and civilians. Sri Tyagi touched upon the problem of the airmen’s recruitment and emphasised that the Air Force being an all India Service, it was incumbent on the authorities concerned to widen their field of recruitment and to look for boys from all round the countryside, and particularly from poorer families of the rural areas who had not yet developed very sophisticated outlook on life and were accustomed to a comparatively harder way of living.

With regard to the language question, Sri Tyagi said that for some time to come English was bound to continue side by side with the national language. He, however, advised the recruiting officers not to go only by proficiency in English language and disqualify candidates who were otherwise more suitable. He emphasised that physique, intelligence and technical experience should always have a preference over the knowledge of language.

Air Marshal S. Mukerjee who discussed the recruiting problems in detail with the officers, assured them that Air Headquarters was alive to their difficulties, and he on his part would do his best to look into them whenever they were brought to his notice.