The Indian Coast Guard will start a recruitment centre in Dehradun. Presenting the letter of approval in principle from the Ministry of Defence, Government of India to the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Coast Guard director general Rajendra Singh said that in addition to Uttarakhand, this centre will recruit youth from three other states- Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
Speaking on the occasion at the chief minister’s residence on Sunday morning, the Coast Guard DG said that currently, the force has 145 ships and 62 aircraft which are to be increased to 200 ships and 110 aircrafts by 2021. He said that during his visit to Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that in addition to the Char Dham shrines, Uttarakhand should also have a fifth Dham- Sainya Dham. The Coast Guard recruitment centre is dedicated to this thought, said Singh. He further said that the Coast Guard is also working on entering into an affiliation with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Later, the Coast Guard will also bring two Gemini boats along with divers to Uttarakhand to work with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in training the youth of the State in disaster rescue and relief measures. It will take about 16-18 months for the recruitment centre to come up on the land provided by the State Government for this purpose, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the foundation stone laying ceremony for the recruitment centre will be held on June 28. The State Government has provided about five bigha land for the centre at Kuawala on the outskirts of Dehradun city. The Coast Guard has provided Rs 17 crore to the State for the land. About Rs 25 crore will be spent on construction of the recruitment centre building. The chief minister said that opening of the Coast Guard recruitment centre in Dehradun will enable the youth of Uttarakhand access good employment opportunities in the Coast Guard. In addition to this, Uttarakhand- which is vulnerable from the view point of disasters will also benefit from the training to be provided by the Coast Guard to the local personnel and youth in disaster rescue and relief measures, he said. The chief minister said that natives of Uttarakhand are working in various arms of the armed forces. “The Prime Minister has envisioned developing a fifth Dham- Sainya Dham in Uttarakhand. It is the State’s good fortune that the fifth recruitment centre of the Coast Guard will come up here. In the Raibar programme held earlier, the Coast Guard DG had proposed opening up of a recruitment centre in the state,” he said while appreciating the DG’s efforts in facilitating this.