Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a Territorial Army Parliamentary Committee session in New Delhi on Thursday, convening the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence to examine the force's mandate, role and record. Senior officials briefed committee members in detail, and the members offered suggestions to strengthen the force and sharpen its effectiveness, according to a Ministry of Defence release issued after the meeting.

Parliamentary Consultative Committees are advisory bodies of MPs attached to individual ministries; their recommendations are not binding on the government.

A living embodiment of the Citizen-Soldier idea

Rajnath Singh called the force a living embodiment of the 'Citizen-Soldier' concept: personnel who hold civilian jobs most of the year but put on the uniform to guard the borders and support internal security whenever called.

He added that while the regular forces stay focused primarily on security tasks, the Territorial Army also carries out environmental conservation and social work. The force numbers roughly 44,400 personnel spread across 59 units, departmental and non-departmental battalions raised for specific sectors, from railways and oil pipelines to ecology.

The Territorial Army traces its statutory origin to the Territorial Army Act of 1948 and was formally inaugurated the following year. Command runs through a Directorate General Territorial Army at Army Headquarters, with units built around a specific employer or industry.

Territorial Army Parliamentary Committee weighs the disaster response record

The Territorial Army Parliamentary Committee also went through the force's record as a first responder. Rajnath Singh told members that Territorial Army units reach affected areas with relief, rescue and medical aid often before other government resources arrive on the ground, drawing on the force's dual footing in both civilian life and military discipline.

Beyond disaster response, Territorial Army units have a service record stretching back to the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan and China, and to the Kargil conflict of 1999, when TA battalions were inducted alongside the regular Army.


Kerala, Odisha and Assam

He specifically credited Territorial Army personnel with relief and rescue work and medical assistance during the Kerala floods, cyclone-hit Odisha and the recent Assam floods, where the force operated alongside Army columns already deployed under Operation Jal Rahat. The release did not break the contribution down by state or give casualty or rescue figures for any of the three events.

Ecological Task Forces and the sapling count

On the environmental side, Rajnath Singh highlighted the Ecological Task Forces, specialised Territorial Army units that have planted close to ten crore saplings to date, with a survival rate between 80 and 85 percent. He tied the plantation drive to the Prime Minister's Mission LiFE and Panchamrit climate commitments, describing the effort as translating those goals into results on the ground rather than leaving them as policy statements.

The Ecological Task Force model dates to the 1980s, when the Army first raised specialised battalions to green degraded and mined-out hill slopes around Mussoorie and the Doon valley, since replicated in other states facing similar degradation.

No independent verification of the sapling count or survival figures was offered in the release.

Har Ghar Tiranga in Jammu and Kashmir

Rajnath Singh separately acknowledged Territorial Army personnel deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for extending the reach of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. The release gave no further detail on the scale or specifics of that effort.

Har Ghar Tiranga is the government's annual campaign encouraging citizens to hoist the national flag at their homes around Independence Day. In border areas such as Jammu and Kashmir, army and paramilitary units have often helped extend its reach into remote villages.

Who else was in the room

The Territorial Army Parliamentary Committee session drew a wide spread of senior military and civilian leadership. Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth attended, alongside Chief of Defence Staff Gen NS Raja Subramani and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Dhiraj Seth. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Secretary (Defence Finance) Vishvajit Sahay were present as well, along with other senior officers.

Gen NS Raja Subramani has held the Chief of Defence Staff post since the end of May 2026, having succeeded Gen Anil Chauhan, while Gen Dhiraj Seth took over as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff at the end of June, succeeding Gen Upendra Dwivedi.

The committee's own suggestions to the Ministry, on strengthening the force and improving its effectiveness, were not detailed in the release.