Women officers in 8 more streams, MoD issues order

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 23

Five months after the Supreme Court allowed Permanent Commission (PC) for Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers, the Ministry of Defence today issued a formal order allowing women to be permanent commissioned officers in eight additional streams in the Army.

The New branches

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Army Air Defence | Signals | Engineers | Army Aviation | Electronics and Mechanical Engineers | Army Service Corps | Army Ordnance Corps, | Intelligence Corps

Available till now

Judge and Advocate General | Army Educational Corps

Still barred

Infantry | Armoured | Mechanised Infantry | Artillery

Women SSC officers were till now allowed Permanent Commission only in the Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC) branches.

The Government Sanction Letter, paving the way for women officers shouldering larger roles in the organisation, specifies grant of PC to SSC women officers in eight additional streams of the Army: Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC) and Intelligence Corps.

The Army Headquarters has set in motion a series of preparatory actions for the conduct of the Permanent Commission Selection Board for Women Officers. The Selection Board will be set up as soon as all SSC women officers exercise their option and complete the requisite documentation.

The directive will apply to those who had joined as SSC officers, but were not given an option during their service tenure to opt for Permanent Commission.

Their male counterparts from same batches and streams went on to become PC officers. The SSC officers – men or women – join for a period of 10 or 14 years following which an option is given for becoming Permanent Commission officers.