Rajnath Singh calls Territorial Army living example of 'Citizen-Soldier' concept

The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, had an important meeting in Delhi about a special group called the Territorial Army.

The Territorial Army is part of the Indian military and is made up of ordinary people who have regular civilian jobs but also train to become soldiers.

When the country needs them, they put on uniforms to protect the borders and keep people safe inside the country.

They also help during natural disasters like floods and cyclones.

Members of the Territorial Army helped people during floods in Kerala and Assam and during a cyclone in Odisha.

They also plant trees to help the environment and have planted about 10 crore saplings so far.

Rajnath Singh said these soldiers act as a bridge between ordinary citizens and the military, inspiring young people to join the defence forces.

The Territorial Army has about 44,400 members spread across 59 units.

The meeting was held to talk about how to make this force even stronger and more effective.