Cabinet nod for 17 Indian Reserve Battalions

The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the raising of 17 Indian Reserve Battalions (IRB) in Jammu & Kashmir and four Maoist-affected states.

This would create job opportunities for around 17,000 local youths in Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha where the battalions would be raised.

At the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet decided to raise five battalions in Jammu & Kashmir, four in Chhattisgarh, three each in Jharkhand and Odisha and two battalions in Maharashtra. A battalion consists of around 1,000 personnel.

Officials said the deployment of IRB would help paramilitary forces to utilise their manpower for the stated purpose of the forces. According to an official statement, local youths will be recruited in the battalions and to achieve this, states have been asked to relax age and educational criteria, if required.