New Delhi, Dec 16: In a move to reduce the age
profile of commanding officers and to ease rank stagnation at
the level of Majors and Lt Colonels, government today
announced acceptance of major recommendations of an official
committee which are likely to benefit 90 per cent of army's
officers.
The acceptance of a part of long-pending report of the
Ajai Vikram Singh Committee was announced by Defence Minister
Pranab Mukherjee who said the step would "ensure better career
prospects in the armed forces".
A major offshoot of the announcement will be that way
will be paved for army to have a youthful profile of its
combat level officers, including battalion commanders and
brigade commanders.
The need for reducing the age of combat level officers
was felt badly during the Kargil crisis when in mountainous
terrain, a lot of battalion commanders were not able to keep
pace with the fighting force under their command.
Under the committee's recommendations, the promotions to
the rank of Colonel, who is a battalion Commanding Officer,
would be granted on completion of 26 years of service and
promotion of officers to the time-based rank of Lt Colonels on
completion of 13 years of service from the present 18 years.
At the first instance, Lt General Rana Kapur, a top
official at the Army Headquarters, said the implementation of
the report would lead to promotion of 750 Lt Colonels to the
rank of full Colonel.
Kapur said the government announcement referred to the
implementation of the first phase of the committee report
which had been forwarded by the Army Headquarters and is
estimated to cost the exchequer Rs 30 crore in the first year.
"The remaining portions of the report is likely to be
implemented in next three to four years," he said.
A government announcement said the cases relating to air
force and navy would "progress separately."
It also under the new scheme, promotion of the rank of
Captain would take place in two years in place of four years
at present and that to the rank of Major in six years instead
of 10 years as at present.
This step would "rectify imbalances of vertical
relatively at unit level which crept in when Commanding
Officers of units were upgraded to the rank of Colonel," the
announcement said.
Mukherjee said Finance Minister P Chidambaram had
accepted all the recommendations put forward to it by his
ministry to "ensure career prospects of army officials and
reduce the age at combating level of Commanding Officers."
"The government is fully aware of the contribution of
military to the nation and is trying to do what it can to
address their problems and ensure the use of high technology
so that it remains a first-rate fighting machine," Mukherjee
said speaking at a function held on 'Vijay Divas', the
anniversary of India's victory on Pakistan in 1971, to release
a book 'blood and guts - the saga of Indian arms'.
Army Chief Gen N C Vij and Navy chief Arun Prakash were
also present.
Defence Secretary Ajai Vikram Singh said the other
recommendations of the committee headed by him were under
consideration of concerned ministries.
Kapur said the move would make the army more attractive
for young people and recruitment drive would be stepped up.
Mukherjee recommended that the coffee table book, an
attempt to put into perspective the martial heritage of
Indians from the time of the Ramayana, be acquired by schools
across the country so that students can know of the valour of
soldiers.
Bureau Report
