PERMANENT COMMISSION TO WOMEN OFFICERS IN ARMY

Focus: GS-III Internal Security Challenges

Why in news?

Ministry of Defence has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to Women Officers in the Indian Army, paving the way for empowering Women Officers to shoulder larger roles in the organisation.

Details

• The order specifies grant of PC to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) Women Officers in all ten streams of the Indian Army.
• In anticipation, the Army Headquarters had set in motion a series of preparatory actions for conduct of the Permanent Commission Selection Board for affected Women Officers.

Recently in news: Supreme Court Eligibility for Permanent Commission

• The Supreme Court dismissed the Union government’s submissions that women are physiologically weaker than men as a “sex stereotype”.
• The Supreme Court declared that Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers are eligible for permanent commission and command posts in the Army irrespective of their years of service
• The court dismissed the government’s stand that only women officers with less than 14 years of service ought to be considered for permanent commission, and those with over 20 years of service should be pensioned immediately.
• The court has done away with all discrimination on the basis of years of service for grant of PC in 10 streams of combat support arms and services, bringing them on a par with male officers.

Women in the Indian Defence Forces

Year wise induction details of women officers in the three armed forces during the past three years and current year, given in a written reply is as follows:

% of women officers is more in Indian air force than army and navy.