'Recruitments to Gorkha Regiments from Darjeeling hills delayed'

YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, JUNE 16, 2022: The BJP government at the Centre has been accused of playing with the future and the time of the candidates of the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in the process of recruitment in the army. 

In a news conference in Kalimpong on Friday, the Gorkha Nationalist Organization objected to the fact that though the recruitment process to the Gorkha Regiment started on December 1, 2020,yet the written test had not been completed by the government by 2022. 

GNO president Michael Kalikote said the date for filling of online applications for recruitments to the Gorkha Regiment was from December 1, 2020, to January 7, 2021. The recruitment rally was held from January 13 to January 15, 2021, and the medical examination was held from January 18, 2021, to January 24, 2021. 

The 'Recruitments to Gorkha Regiments from Darjeeling hills delayed' written test was scheduled for April 25, 2021, but was rescheduled for July 25, 2021. It was again scheduled for September26, 2021, and again to October31, 2021. The written test was rescheduled again to November28, 2021. 

No information has been released since then. He said there were vacancies for 289 candidates from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong to the Gorkha Regiment. "Why was the recruitment process delayed," he asked.

According to Kalikote, recruitments to the Gorkha and Garhwal Regiments from the Uttarakhand were processed at the same time. Candidates from Uttarakhand had already been recruited and were doing their duty after completing all the training. 

He asked BJP M. P. from Darjeeling Raju Bista why his government was playing with the future of the candidates from the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. "Our students need an answer."