Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Chairs Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting on the Territorial Army
NEW DELHI, August 06, 2026 — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi, focusing extensive discussions on the role, mandate, and future trajectory of the Territorial Army. Senior ministry officials provided committee members with a comprehensive briefing detailing the force’s core operational scope and major achievements. Following the presentation, parliamentarians offered strategic suggestions aimed at strengthening the overall operational effectiveness and modernizing the capabilities of the auxiliary force.
During his address, Rajnath Singh highlighted the critical role played by the Territorial Army in supporting the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ put forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He noted that while standard military branches focus primarily on external and internal security duties, the Territorial Army acts as a living embodiment of the “Citizen-Soldier” concept. The force seamlessly merges civilian careers with military duty, allowing citizens to don the uniform whenever called upon to safeguard national borders and support law enforcement in maintaining internal security.
Highlighting its strategic value, the Defence Minister emphasized that the Territorial Army serves as an essential surge capacity reserve for the armed forces, providing ready-to-deploy, fully trained personnel on short notice. Furthermore, he noted that once citizen-soldiers complete their active service cycles and return to civilian roles, they form an invaluable cultural and civic bridge between the public and the armed forces, fostering national discipline and inspiring Indian youth to pursue military service.
The Territorial Army currently operates as a well-trained, highly motivated reserve element comprising approximately 44,400 active personnel distributed across 59 specialized units. Recognized as key first responders during domestic crises, its units have repeatedly provided immediate disaster relief, search and rescue operations, and essential medical assistance, most notably during severe flooding in Kerala, cyclone emergencies in Odisha, and recent deluge responses in Assam.
In addition to traditional defense duties, the Territorial Army plays an active role in environmental conservation and climate mitigation through its dedicated Ecological Task Forces. These units have successfully planted nearly 10 crore saplings to date, maintaining a remarkable survival rate between 80 to 85 percent and directly advancing the national objectives of ‘Mission LiFE’ and the ‘Panchamrit’ climate framework. The Minister also commended units deployed in Jammu & Kashmir for their grassroots efforts in driving the national ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ awareness initiative.
The high-level meeting was attended by key defense leaders and senior administrators, including Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani, Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary for Defence Production Sanjeev Kumar, and Secretary for Defence Finance Vishvajit Sahay.