‘SONS OF SOIL’ TO GUARD CHINA BORDER IN SIKKIM

India’s policy of integrating local soldiers or “sons of the soil” with the Indian Armyin guarding the frontier with China will now be extended to Sikkim.

• This will complete an arch of locally recruited battalions to be integrated with the Army and stationed from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir in the North to Arunachal Pradesh in the East.
• The Cabinet Committee of Security gave its nod to raising a battalion of “Sikkim Scouts” that will be tasked with guarding high passes and portions of the north-eastern part of Sikkim, besides keeping an eye on the routes of ingress.
• The battalion will be ready and raised in 30 months i.e. mid of 2015.

 PREVIOUS BATTALIONS ON SAME GROUNDS:

• The Army has integrated battalions of locally recruited soldiers under “Ladakh Scouts” and “Arunachal Scouts” (two battalions each), “Kumaon Scouts”, “Garhwal Scouts” and “Dogra Scouts” (one battalion each).
•  “Arunachal Scouts” was the last one to be raised.