Punjab second among all states in contributing to Indian army rank and file

Punjab has the second highest rank and file soldiers serving in the Indian army amongst all states and union territories in the country. Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 167,557 soldiers.

The strength of army personnel from Punjab is 89,088, according to information placed by the Ministry of Defence in Parliament today (15 March). This accounts for 7.7% of the Army’s rank and file, even though its share of the national population is 2.3%, reports Tribune News Service

While Uttar Pradesh, the nation’s most populous state, makes up 16.5% of the country’s population, its share in the rank and file is 14.5%. Maharashtra, with 87,835 soldiers occupies the third slot followed by Rajasthan, with 79,481 soldiers.

Among other states in the region, Haryana is sixth in the national tally while Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh 11th and 12th position, respectively. The contribution of these states to the Army, however, is significantly more than their share of the national population.

The Ministry’s data shows that with 65,987 soldiers, Haryana accounts for 5.7 per cent of the rank and file where as its share of the national population is 2.09 per cent. Jammu and Kashmir, along with Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh have 47,457 and 46,960 active duty soldiers, respectively. While they account for 1.01 per cent and 0.57 per cent of the national population, respectively, they make up 4.1 and 4 per cent of the army’s strength, respectively.

The Army currently has 1.15 million soldiers on its rolls against the authorised strength of 1.30 million, the report added.

In the infantry, the largest component of the army, the Punjab Regiment, Dogra Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Sikh Light Infantry, Jammu and Kashmir Regiment, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and Ladakh Scouts draw their manpower from this region. Soldiers from these states also make up a sizable chunk of other arms and services.

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