NEW DELHI: Indian government has said that Indian armed forces are facing a shortage of 11,266 Majors, Captains and officers of the equivalent and other ranks.
The Indian government attributed this shortage to a low intake of officers during the Covid pandemic.
The Army has a shortage of 2,094 Major-level officers and 4,734 at the Captain level. The IAF is short of 881 Squadron Leaders and 940 Flight Lieutenants, and the Navy 2,617 officers of the rank of Lt Commander and below.
The Indian Ministry of Defence in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said the “low intake during Covid-19 pandemic” was the main reason for the shortage. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in a reply to a question posed by three MPs – Manish Tewari, Prof Sougata Ray and Haji Fazlur Rehman – also attributed the shortage to a low induction in supporting cadres like the Short Service Commission (SSC).
The recruitment in the Indian armed forces is done through several streams. One of them is through the SSC, where cadets pass out after 11 months of training and serve in the forces for a fixed tenure of 10 to 14 years.
On being asked whether any alternative strategies like re-employment of officers to such posts were being considered to address the shortage, the MoD replied: “No proposal has been received in the ministry.” The MoD, however, said it was considering making the “Short Service” entry more attractive.
Please visit our website London Institute of Peace Research for latest peace news
