For the first time, nearly 108 female Army officers have been approved for the selection grade of Colonel, which entitles them to command units in their respective arms and services. At Army headquarters, the Women Officers Special No. 3 Selection Board proceedings, which got under way on January 9, are being held to promote female officers from the rank of lieutenant colonel to colonel, putting them on par with their male counterparts. From the 1992 to 2006 batch, 108 positions in the Engineers, Signals, Army Air Defence, Intelligence Corps, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers are being considered for advancement by up to 244 female officers.
According to military sources quoted in the media, of all the branches and services, the Corps of Engineers has the most openings at 28, for which 65 women are being considered. The Army Ordnance Corps and Electrical and Mechanical Engineering are the next two, with 19 and 21 openings respectively, and 47 female officers are being considered for the rank of Colonel in each.
Seven women officers are being considered for promotion against three vacancies in the Army Air Defence and seven women officers are being assessed for promotion against five vacancies in the Intelligence Corps, the sources said. For the Army Service Corps and the Corps of Signals, 29 and 42 women officers are being assessed for promotion against 14 and 18 vacancies, respectively. A senior woman officer said she is grateful that while the development came late, it did come finally. “It is heartening to see that our sheer hard work and persistence paid off, irrespective of being late. It is a day most have been long waiting for,” the officer said.