Army Starts Screening Women Officers for Permanent Commission

This is in keeping with the Supreme Court order from February to end gender bias in the the Indian Army.

In keeping with the Supreme Court order in February to end gender bias in the Indian Army, the latter has begun the screening process for women officers who can be granted permanent commission (PC) in 10 of its branches, reported The Times of India.

According to TOI, a Special No 5 Selection Board had been constituted to screen women officers who are already part of the short-service commission (SSC), for PC.

Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand, according to TOI, said on Saturday, 20 September, that the selection boards is headed by a Lt-General, and includes a woman officer of brigadier ranks. Women officers are, reportedly, also allowed to observe the proceedings for the sake of transparency.

Further Anand, reportedly informed that women officers who qualify in the screening process will be granted PC, subject to them qualifying “the minimum acceptable medical category”.

Background

The government issued a formal sanction letter to grant Permanent Commission to women officers in the Indian Army, paving the way for empowering women officers to shoulder larger roles in the organisation, said the army, earlier in July.

The army spokesperson had further said, “The order specifies grant of Permanent Commission to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers in all ten streams of Indian Army in addition to the existing streams of Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC).”