Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that Army recruitment rallies, which were discontinued in the State’s Chambal region six years ago due to law and order problems, could be restarted provided order was maintained.

She said that the Chambal region had given a large number of soldiers to the defence forces of the country including 15,000 serving personnel.

While addressing a function to inaugurate the ‘Shaheed Smarak’ at Morena, Sitharaman said “Army recruitment rallies were discontinued in the Chambal area after a law and order situation cropped up during one such rally about six years ago.” She added that if the local government maintained law and order, the rallies could be restarted.

Earlier, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked the defence minister to restart the recruitment rallies and assured that law and order would be maintained.

Sitharaman said that employement opportunities for local youth would increase as a defence research centre was being opened at Sabalgarh tehsil in Morena district.

Sitharaman informed that an army school would also be opened here from the 2018-19 academic session. She said that the defence ministry would initiate action to convert the cantonment area in Gwalior into a civil one. Chouhan said that the state government was preparing a pension scheme for widows of martyrs.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that Chambal, which was portrayed in films as a dacoit-infested area, was actually one of brave soldiers and martyrs.