Lok Sabha Question No. 5700 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-07
Subject: Women Officers in Defence Forces
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: PRATHAP SIMHA, RADHESHYAM BISWAS, SHOBHA KARANDLAJE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5700

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 7 TH  APRIL, 2017

## WOMEN OFFICERS IN DEFENCE FORCES

5700.  SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA: SHRI RADHESHYAM BISWAS: KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE:

Will the Minister of DEFENCE j{kk ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  women  officers  in  various  branches  of  defence  forces  including medical and nursing, Service / Commissioned / Rank-wise;
- (b) the number of complaints of harassment and discrimination received from women officers  during  the  last  three  years  and  the  current  year  and  the  action  taken  by  the Government thereon; and
- (c) the steps being taken by the Government to encourage women to join the Services and make necessary changes in recruitment in this regard?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)

र  ा रा य मं ी

(डा. सुभाष भामरे)

(a) to (c): A statement is attached.

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  5700 FOR ANSWER ON 07.04.2017.

## (a) The  number  of  women  officers  in  the  three  Armed  Forces,  rank-wise  is given as under:

| Army (as on 01.01.2017)   |   Army (as on 01.01.2017) | Navy (as on 03.04.2017)   | Navy (as on 03.04.2017)   | Air Force (as on 30.03.2017)   |   Air Force (as on 30.03.2017) |
|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| Colonel                   |                         1 | Captain                   | -                         | Group Captain                  |                             02 |
| Lieutenant Colonel        |                       183 | Commander                 | 32                        | Wing Commander                 |                            248 |
| Major                     |                       441 | Lieutenant Commander      | 204                       | Squadron Leader                |                            601 |
| Captain                   |                       724 | Lieutenant                | 135                       | Flight Lieutenant              |                            567 |
| Lieutenant                |                       179 | Sub Lieutenant            | 97                        | Flying Officer                 |                            163 |
| Total:                    |                      1528 | Total:                    | 468                       | Total:                         |                           1581 |

The  number  of  women  officers  commissioned  in  Armed  Forces  Medical Services (as on 01.03.2017) is as given under:

| Medical Officers   |   Medical Officers | Dental Officers    | Dental Officers   | Nursing                              |   Nursing |
|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|-------------------|--------------------------------------|-----------|
| Major General      |                  5 | Major General      | -                 | Major General                        |         2 |
| Brigadier          |                 10 | Brigadier          | -                 | Brigadier                            |        18 |
| Colonel            |                103 | Colonel            | 10                | Colonel (Selection Grade)            |        58 |
| Lieutenant Colonel |                280 | Lieutenant Colonel | 26                | Lieutenant Colonel (Selection Grade) |       157 |
| Major              |                311 | Major              | 48                | Lieutenant Colonel (Time Scale)      |      1222 |
| Captain            |                447 | Captain            | 36                | Major                                |       640 |
| Lieutenant         |                 70 | Lieutenant         | -                 | Captain                              |      1524 |
| Lieutenant         |                 70 | Lieutenant         | -                 | Lieutenant                           |       795 |
| Total:             |               1226 | Total:             | 120               | Total:                               |      4416 |

- ......2/-

## (b) Details of number of complaints of harassment and discrimination received from women officers of the above service are as under:-

| Army                                 | Navy           | Air Force               | Medical & Nursing   |
|--------------------------------------|----------------|-------------------------|---------------------|
| 06                                   | 03             | 02                      | 01                  |
| (2014 - Nil) (2015 - 02) (2016 - 04) | (last 8 years) | (2016 - 01) (2017 - 01) | (2016)              |

Action on such complaints is taken as per extent rules / guidelines on the issue.

- (c) In  2011,  the  Government  approved  consideration  of  women  Short  Service Commission Officers (SSCOs) for grant of permanent commission along with men SSCOs  in  specific  branches  in  the  three  services  viz.  Judge  Advocate  General (JAG),  and  Army  Education  Corps  (AEC)  of  the  Army  and  their  corresponding branches in Navy and Air Force, Naval Constructor in Navy and Accounts Branch in Air Force.

In  March  2016,  approval  has been  accorded  for  induction  of  women  Short Service  Commission  (SSC)  officers  as  Pilots  in  Maritime  Reconnaissance  (MR) stream and in the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) cadre.

The  IAF  has  revised  Short  Service  Commission  (SSC)  scheme  to  induct women into the fighter stream on an experimental basis for a period of five years. The first batch of three women officers were commissioned into the fighter stream on June 18, 2016.

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