Apshinge military village in Satara dist gets learning centre, gymnasium

Lt Gen Ajai Kumar Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Southern Command paid a visit to Apshinge ‘military village’, Satara on May 1 and inaugurated a learning centre and gymnasium to facilitate training and further recruitment in the Indian Armed Forces.

Satara, Sangli, Karad, Solapur, and Kolhapur districts have traditionally been the catchment areas for Indian Army recruiting. Apshinge village in Satara District has a population of approximately 3,000 people.

350 families that reside in the village have at least one serving member in the Indian Armed Forces. 46 soldiers from Apsinghe Village gave their lives during World War I and in recognition of their services, the British Government built a Vijay Sthambh in the Centre of the village.

The children of the community are encouraged from an early age to pursue a career in the Indian Armed Forces and are trained accordingly. The recently implemented Agnipath Scheme for recruitment into the Indian Armed Forces necessitates stringent eligibility requirements in addition to physical fitness.

At the request of the village’s ex-servicemen, Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha and the South Indian Education Society jointly established the facility centre as part of Institutional Social Responsibility (ISR) at a cost of approximately ₹80 lakh.

Lt Gen H S Kahlon, GOC, MG & G area, and Dr V Shankar, president, SIES and Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, as well as Apsinghe Military Village residents, also attended the occasion.