COIMBATORE: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is battling naxals, has just become younger and tougher. According to CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar, a recent recruitment drive has infused young blo-od into the para-military fo-rce and reduced the average age of the personnel.“We plan to tap these strengths (age advantage) and set up new training centres across the country to give improved training to our men. We are setting up an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) management training school in Pune, a training of trainers school in Shimla, an intelligence school in Gurgaon, Haryana and a Rapid Action Force training school in Meerut, UP. We are also setting up a catering school to train cooks to prepare healthy diet for the jawans,” Vijay Kumar told mediapersons here on Sunday.However, he did not elaborate on the age advantage or the average age of the jawans. The CRPF head honcho, who was here to partic-ipate in the seventh graduation day of the CMS College of Science and Commerce in Coimbatore, revealed that the Karnataka government has allotted 400 acres of land to set up an insurgency and jungle fight training school in Belgaum. “We also have entered into an understanding with the state government tha the CRPF in turn will train the state police. A non-lethal weapon management school will also be set up soon,” he said.The CRPF has also established a dog breeding and training school in Taralu, Karnataka. In the next two years, 200 - 300 dogs will be trained in the school.Reflecting on the Dantewada naxal operations, he said, “We are determined, resolute and committed to fighting the naxals. When they fear to fight us directly, the naxals use loopholes and landmine.” In 2011, the CRPF had lost 29 jawans to landmine and bomb blasts.“We are planning to increase the number of battalions from 219 to 225 by increasing General, Mahila, Rapid Action Force and Cobra battalions. With this the strength of the force will be 3 lakh from the current 2.88 lakhs,” Vijay Kumar said.
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