66 women army officers cleared for command roles; promoted to Colonel rank
By Anish Kumar | First Published Jan 20, 2023, 8:49 AM ISTForty-two more women officers will be promoted to the rank of Colonel during the ongoing selection board, concluding on January 22.
Ensuring gender parity further in the force, Indian Army has cleared 66 women officers for command roles for the first time in several arms and services, including Engineers, Signals, and Army Air Defence among others.
Forty-two more women officers will be promoted to the rank of Colonel during the ongoing selection board, concluding on January 22.
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Army sources said: "A total of 244 women officers were considered for the promotion against 108 vacancies, from 1992 batch to 2006 batch in arms and services like Engineers, Signals, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Army Air Defence, Intelligence Corps and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
With objectives to have fair conduct and clarification, a total of 60 women officers have been called as observers for the Selection Board.
Of the 66 women officers promoted to colonel rank, 17 have got through in Engineers, 14 in Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 13 Army Ordnance Corps, 11 Signals, 9 in Army Service Corps and two in Army Air Defence. The selected women officers will be posted on various command assignments, and the first set of such postings will be issued by the end of January 2023, sources added.
The Indian Army had agreed to grant Permanent Commission to women officers at par with their male counterparts after the Supreme Court’s directions.
Currently, all women officers granted Permanent Commission are undergoing special training courses and challenging military assignments to empower them for higher leadership roles in the force.
For the first time, five Women Officers have cleared the prestigious Defence Services Staff Course (DSSC) and Defence Services Technical Staff Course (DSTSC) Exam, which is held annually in the month of September. They will undergo a one-year course and be given adequate weightage while being considered for command appointments.
A few days ago, Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande announced that women officers would be inducted into the Corps of Artillery.
In another initiative to promote women in the force, the Army has so far recruited six meritorious sportswomen into the Corps of Military Police under the Mission Olympic Programme.
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