Women in Armed Forces

Women in Armed Forces

Women, in Armed Forces, are inducted as officers on all India merit basis alongwith men candidates, irrespective of state, region, caste or religion

In the Armed Forces, women are recruited as officers within the overall authorized strength of the officers` cadre. Filling up of vacancies of officers (from eligible women and men candidates) is a continuous and an ongoing process and is done on merit on all India basis.

A number of steps have been taken to attract the talented youth, both women and men, to join the Armed Forces. All officers including those in Short Service Commission (SSC) are now eligible to hold substantive rank of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel after 2, 6 and 13 years of reckonable service respectively. The tenure of SSC officers has been increased from 10 years to 14 years. A total number of 750 posts of Lt. Colonel have been upgraded to Colonel towards implementation of AV Singh Committee Report (Phase-I). Further, 1896 additional posts in the ranks of Colonel, Brigadier, Major General and Lieutenant General and their equivalents in the other two Services have been upgraded towards implementation of AV Singh Committee Report (Phase-ll). The implementation of recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission with substantial improvement in the pay structure of officers of Armed Forces has made the Services more attractive.

The Armed Forces have also undertaken sustained image projection and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career. Awareness campaigns, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, advertisements in print and electronic media, motivational lectures in schools, colleges are also some of the other measures in this direction.

Women, in Armed Forces, are inducted as officers on all India merit basis alongwith men candidates, irrespective of state, region, caste or religion. All aspiring candidates including women meeting the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply from all over the country including rural areas.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to ShriChandu Lal Sahu and Shri M.K. Raghavanin Lok Sabha today.