NEW DELHI: Five women officers from “combat-support arms” have for the first time been cleared for promotion to the rank of Colonel (time-scale) in the
Army after completing 26 years of service like their male counterparts.
The Army on Monday said a selection board has cleared the promotion of Lt-Col Sangeeta Sardana (Corps of Signals), Lt-Col Sonia Anand and Lt-Col Navneet Duggal (Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers), and Lt-Col Reenu Khanna and Lt-Col Ritcha Sagar (Corps of Engineers) to the Colonel (time-scale) rank.
An officer becomes a “selection-grade” Colonel in around 15-17 years. The “passed over” male officers become Colonel (time-scale) after completing 26 years of service.
The promotion of the five women officers is the outcome of the
Supreme Court order to the 13-lakh strong Army last year to end the gender bias and grant permission commission (PC) to women officers in eight more branches, in addition to previously existing legal and education wings.
Consequently, the Army has till now granted PC to 424 of the 615 short-service commission (SSC) women officers (who can only serve for a maximum of 14 years) eligible for it.
The Supreme Court had last week also allowed women to take the exam for the tri-Service National Defence Academy this year, in yet another order to ensure gender equality in the male-dominated environs of the armed forces.
Women officers, excluding the medical stream, number just about 1,650 in the 43,000-strong officer cadre in the Army. Till now, women officers could reach the rank of Colonel only in the medical, legal and education streams.
“The widening of promotion avenues to more branches of the Army is a sign of increasing career opportunities for women officers. Combined with the decision to grant PC to women officers from a majority of branches of the Army, this step defines the Army's approach towards a gender-neutral force,” said the Army on Monday.
The eight new branches for women officers to get PC are Army Air Defence, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, EME, Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps and Intelligence Corps.
Women officers are, however, still not allowed to join main combat arms like infantry, mechanized infantry, artillery and armoured corps in the Army. But the IAF now has 12 women fighter pilots. The Navy earlier this year also deployed four women officers on warships for the first time after a gap of 23 years.