India to get CDS soon? Govt expands eligibility criteria in a big move
Government amends key rules for the appointment of India's next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), months after the untimely demise of General Bipin Rawat.
Follow(Image: General Bipin Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff, passed away on December 8, 2021 in a helicopter crash - Getty Images)
New Delhi: Widening the pool to select the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the government has amended the rules of defence forces for its appointment, making way for retired officers for the top post.
With the amendment in the service rules, the Lieutenant General and General and equivalent rank serving and retired officers can also be appointed as the next CDS.
In the notification, which was issued on June 7, the officers, whether serving or retired, must not have attained the age of 62 years.
The Chief of Defence Staff is the one point military advisor to the government. The post was created to bring more coordination in working between the government and the armed forces.
It is believed that the next CDS will be appointed soon.
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As per the existing rules, all service chiefs serve a fixed tenure of three years or 62 years of age.
As per the notification, these amendments have been brought to the Army, Air Force and Navy Acts to accommodate the changes.
The notification for the Army says, “The central government, may, if considered necessary, in public interest, so to do, appoint as Chief of Defence Staff, an officer who is serving as Lt Gen or General or an officer who has retired in the rank of Lt Gen or General but has not attained the age of sixty-two years on the date of his appointment”.
Same changes have also been brought to the Air Force and Navy Acts, with their equivalent ranks.
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