Army officers look on as the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Army Training Command, Lieutenant-General K Surendra Nath, hoists the OTA Gaya flag (below) on Monday. Pictures by Suman

Gaya, July 18: A new era of shaurya (courage), gyan (wisdom) and sankalp (resolve) began in the history of the Indian Army as the flag of only the second Officers Training Academy (OTA) in the country was hoisted here today.

The OTA is only the third military academy of its kind in the country after OTA Chennai and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.

Lieutenant-General K. Surendra Nath, the general officer commanding-in-chief of Army Training Command, hoisted the national flag. Prior to this, religious texts of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity, were read out.

After this, the first batch training of 130 cadets was officially started at OTA, Gaya.

“Gaya will mould young dynamic minds into capable future military leaders and fulfil a long-felt need of the Indian Army to train and induct more officers into its ranks,” Surendra Nath said.

Nath, in a brief interaction with reporters, said there are around 14,000 vacancies in the Indian Army, which would be filled up in different phases.

The strength of the cadets at the Gaya OTA would be increased from the present 130 to 750 in the next three years.

“OTA Gaya has been set up at a place that is very close to Bodhgaya, which has an international importance. In the years to come, OTA, Gaya will be a premier training institution with world-class facilities where not only the cadets selected for the Indian military but also the cadets from foreign countries will also be imparted training,” the lieutenant general added.

Earlier, addressing the ceremony, which was attended by senior military officers and civil dignitaries, the lieutenant-general said: “OTA Gaya has been raised to train and mould selected youths into future military leaders and flag-bearers with special emphasis on imbibing the core values of the Indian Army, which are bravery, courage, integrity and selflessness. Accordingly, the motto of the academy has been framed as shaurya, gyan, sankalp. This will translate into bravery in the face of enemy on the battlefield, knowledge in all spheres to enable an officer to be a scholar warrior.”

The OTA, Gaya has been raised under lieutenant-general Vijai Sharma, an officer of the Corps of Engineers having an experience of 36 years in military service. Prior to taking over as the first commandant of OTA, Gaya, the general officer was serving at Army headquarters, Delhi.

A team of well-qualified instructors specially chosen from the Indian Army would impart training to the first batch of cadets. The trainees will be provided basic military training attuned with the advancements in the latest technology to enable them to serve as professionally skilled leaders of a modern army.

Amit Mahajan, the public relations officer, defence, said: “The selection of a cadet for training at OTA, Gaya will be made in two different ways. Individuals serving in Indian military who want to upgrade their ranks will have to clear special commissioned officer (SCO) course number 28. The age limit for SCO course number 28 is between 28 and 35 years. For freshers, there is a technical entry scheme (TES) course number 25. Examination of TES course number 25 is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for which an individual will have to clear the 10 + 2 examination. Here, the cadets will undergo a year’s training. They will have to undertake three years of technical training at other centres in the country. On completion of the four-year training, the cadet will become a lieutenant-rank officer in the Indian Army.”

To achieve and maintain paramount standards of physical and the mental health of the trainees various training and sports facilities have been made available in the academy. The area is equipped with facilities for weapon training, drill, physical training, swimming, equitation and equestrian sports and adventure clubs for the all round development of the cade3ts. Training in soft skills like verbal and non-verbal communication, public speaking, interpersonal relationship, leadership, emotional intelligence, team building etc are an integral part of the curriculum at the academy.