According to the government, there is “no delay” in the Indian Army’s Officers Recruitment cycle, there is a well-established procedure with a specified timeframe, and all applicants, including Veer Naris, are treated at par in the recruitment process.
No Delay in Officers Recruitment Cycle in Indian Army
The government’s action on the observations or recommendations contained in the thirty-first (17th Lok Sabha) report of the Standing Committee on Defence on the subject ‘Assessment of Welfare Measures Available to War Widows/Families in Armed Forces’ was presented to Lok Sabha and laid in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The Committee stated in its report that compassionate appointments are made by concerned Service Headquarters of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to widows or families of defence personnel and that widows of defence personnel who die while performing their duties are eligible to apply for Short Service Commission (Non-Technical) and (Technical). They are eligible even if they had children, but they must not have remarried, according to the rules.
Officers Recruitment: Reservations for Women
According to the study, 5% of positions are reserved for widows for both SSC (Technical) Women and SSC (Non-Technical) Women Entry. “The Committee wishes to reconsider the criteria of ‘Veer Nari’ being unmarried for employment eligibility.” Furthermore, the Committee has learned that in some situations of compassionate appointment, candidates must wait inordinately long for an appointment. Evidently, in some circumstances, widows cross the age limit while waiting for vacancies to be announced,” it stated.
“The Committee recommends that a suitable mechanism be developed to ensure that at least eligible and willing ‘Veer Nari’ of NoK (next of kin) are provided with either employment or a resettlement option in the shortest time possible,” the study added.
According to the government’s answer, “5% vacancies are provided to widows of defence personnel as welfare measures as per Government of India. They are prioritised for SSC (Technical) and (Non-Technical) Women Entry.” The ‘Veer Naris’ receives relaxation up to the age of 35. The administration stated that remarried Veer Naris are not provided relief since they are not in financial difficulties and have a support structure in place.
Officers Recruitment in Continuous Process
“There is no lag in the Indian Army’s officer recruitment cycle.” “There is a well-established procedure with a fixed timeline, and all applicants, including Veer Naris, are treated on an equal footing in the recruitment process,” the government noted in response to the panel’s findings. Veer Naris’/widows seeking SSC (Non-Technical) Entry are exempt from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) written examination.” “If they meet the other eligibility criteria, they are directly detailed for service for the Service Selection Board (SSB),” the ministry added.
Women Working in Defence Forces [2023 Updated]
The number of women working in various Defence forces across the country at present, service/wing-wise is given below:
Indian Army:
| S No | Category | Held Strength of Women(as on January 01, 2023) |
| (a) | Women Officers (Excluding Army Medical Corps (AMC)/ Army Dental Corps (ADC) | 1,733 |
| (b) | Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) | 00 |
| (c) | Other Ranks (ORs) | 100 |
Indian Air Force:
| S No | Category | Held Strength of Women(as on July 01, 2023) |
| (a) | Women Officers (Excluding Medical & Dental branches) | 1,654 |
| (b) | Airmen (Agniveervayu) | 155 |
Indian Navy:
| S No | Category | Held Strength of Women(as on July 26, 2023) |
| (a) | Women Officers (Excluding Medical & Dental officers) | 580 |
| (b) | Sailors (Agniveer) | 726 |
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