CHENNAI: The Officers Training Academy in Gaya is all-set to open in May 2012 and there is a plan to approach the University of Madras to offer Post Graduate Diploma in Defence Management and Strategic Studies, according to OTA commandant Lt Gen Gautam Banerjee.Addressing a press conference during the inaugural ceremony of the OTA’s affiliation with the University of Madras for a PG diploma in defence management and strategic studies here on Tuesday, Lt Gen Banerjee and Gopalji Malviya, professor and head of Defence and Strategic Studies in the university, said that there was a shortage of officers in the army and hence, the academy was opened in Northern state of Bihar to encourage people to join the army.“Currently, we are training rank officers in Gaya and once the academy starts functioning in the middle of 2012, the head of the department from the university will inspect the facility and then things will go forward,” said Lt Gen Banerjee. “The shortage of officers is a worldwide phenomenon as the youngsters now look for better options, which is more lucrative.”Interestingly, Officers Training Academy’s tie-up with the university was delayed for more than eight years due to technical hurdles and has come into inception only now due to the efforts taken by Lt Gen Banerjee, said Malviya.With this, the OTA, which is one of the two academies of the Indian army which imparts pre-commission training to men and the only one of its kind to train the women officers, becomes the first service institution in Chennai to get affiliated to Madras university.“Although the course is not mandatory for the cadets, I think all the 750 cadets will join the 10-month course,” said Lt Gen Banerjee, who is set to retire on June 30.
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