Army Chief Naravane says roadmap to grant permanent commission to women officers is ready

Army chief General MM Naravane on Thursday said that the Supreme Court’s order to grant permanent commission to all women officers is a welcome decision and that a roadmap for process is ready. 

“It brings out a sense of clarity and purpose to gainfully employ officers for better efficiency of the organisation,” he added.

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The process, which is similar to that of men, will begin by asking women officers who are on short service commission (SSC) if they want to opt for permanent commission.

The General further added that the Armed Forces has been embracing gender equality and diversity. Interacting with a group of journalists at the Army headquarters in South Block, he assured equal opportunity for all and said,

“The Indian army does not discriminate against any soldier based on religion, caste, creed, and gender. It has been this way and that is why we started inducting women officers as early as 1993.” 

The Supreme court order on Monday gave three months’ time for implementation. A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said there will not be any absolute bar on giving them command postings. The bench further asserted its opinion that physiological features of women have no effect in granting a permanent commission, and they have to be given equal opportunity at par with their male counterparts in the Armed Forces.

Further, it highlighted that women officers have earned laurels for the country. Many including 24-year-old Lieutenant Shivangi Swaroop who became the first woman pilot of Indian navy, are breaking new ground.

At the same time, the Armed Forces has opened up more opportunities to women in the past few years.  In fact, the first batch of 100 women soldiers in the Army, currently being trained, is likely to be commissioned by March 2021 into the Corps of Military Police.

(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)