Aizawl, August 11: The Mizoram government has begun recruitment for the first batch of the Mizo Territorial Army (MTA), a newly approved battalion tasked with tackling drug trafficking, cross-border smuggling, and other security challenges in the state, officials said on Monday.
In its initial phase, 70 male candidates will be selected and undergo nine months of training at the Assam Regimental Centre in Shillong before deployment across Mizoram, particularly along its international borders. The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the state’s proposal for the force, which will operate in coordination with other security agencies to strengthen border vigilance.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who discussed the initiative with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, described the MTA as a dual effort to provide employment for Mizo youth while bolstering national security. The move comes amid long-standing demands for central support to address manpower shortages in combating narcotics trafficking and contraband smuggling from neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The development coincides with the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) consideration of a full-fledged zonal office in Mizoram. NCB Director General Anurag Garg recently met with the chief minister, stressing the importance of personnel familiar with local languages and terrain to effectively counter the drug trade.
With its unfenced 510-km border with Myanmar and 318-km border with Bangladesh, Mizoram remains a hotspot for trafficking methamphetamine tablets, foreign cigarettes, areca nuts, arms, ammunition, and wildlife products. Authorities expect the MTA to serve as a crucial frontline force in these vulnerable border zones.
