(a) whether there is a shortage of officers in all three wings of the Armed Forces of the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor, service, category and rank-wise; and
(c) the steps being taken to meet the shortage and attract youth to serve in the Armed Forces of the country? |
| ANSWER |
MINISTER OF DEFENCE (SHRI MANOHAR PARRIKAR)
(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 92 FOR ANSWER ON 28.11.2014
(a) &(b): Details of the shortage of officers in the Armed Forces (excluding Medical and Dental Branch), rank wise are as under:-
Army Navy Air Force
Rank Shortage Rank Shortage Rank Shortage
General 0 Admiral 0 Air Chief Marshal 0
Lieutenant 4 Vice Admiral 0 Air Marshal 0
General
Major General 18 Rear Admiral 0 Air Vice Marshal 0
Brigadier 39 Commodore 0 Air Commodore 0
Colonel 164 Captain 0 Group Captain 0
Non Select 7764 Commander 0 Wing 357
Rank
(Lieutenant Lieutenant 1499 Wing Commander
Colonel and Commander & plus Group Captain
Below) (TS) & below
Total 7989 Total 1499 Total 357
These deficiencies are transient in nature and get filled up as soon as promotions are affected.
Some of the major reasons for shortage in Armed Forces include accretion in force level from time to time, availability of attractive alternative career avenues, stringent selection criteria and difficult service conditions coupled with perceived high degree of risk.
(c) Government has taken a number of measures to encourage the youth to join Armed Forces to meet the shortages, including sustained image projection and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career. Further, government has taken various steps to make armed forces jobs attractive. These include implementation of the recommendation of the VI Central Pay Commission with improved pay structure, additional family accommodation through Married Accommodation Project (MAP) and improvement in promotion prospects in the Armed Forces. |
|
|
