New promotion policy for Colonel, above ranks from January

New Delhi, December 6

In what will alter how Army officers of the rank of Colonel and above are promoted, the Military Secretary’s office has issued a comprehensive promotion policy that will be enforced from January 1.

The policy aims to iron out the anomalies in the promotions of Colonel and higher-rank officers, besides streamlining the process of calculating vacancies and creating vacancies across various wings of the force. It will also lay down fitness parameters for each rank — Colonel, Brigadier, Maj General and Lt General. Promotions to the ranks of Captain, Major and Lt Colonel are time-bound.

The new policy seeks to address the aspirations of officers of all wings and services. Equitable opportunities would be available in promotion boards and it was expected to bring in greater meritocracy, an official said. The policy is expected to address operational requirements of the force, which is undergoing a rapid evolution.

It will also decide the criteria for selecting officers for ‘staff stream’ and those who will go to ‘operational stream’. At the level of Major General, it provides for increased promotion opportunities. For example, a Major General approved in ‘staff stream’ will be eligible for promotion to the next rank in the same stream. At present, HR management of the Army is governed by various policies and provisions which are not uniform in their applicability for various selection boards. The new policy would bring uniformity in the applicability of policies for all selection boards, officials said.