Women officers in the Indian Army will now be able to play larger roles with the grant of Permanent Commission (PC) for women in the armed forces by the Centre. The Ministry of Defence on Thursday issued the formal letter sanctioning the grant of Permanent Commission (PC) for women officers, empowering eligible women personnel to take on more responsibility in the army.

The order specifies grant of Permanent Commission to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers in all the ten streams of the Indian Army including Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), and Intelligence Corps in addition to the existing streams of Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC), an Indian Army spokesperson said on Thursday.

Earlier, anticipating the grant of Permanent Commission for women, the Indian Army headquarters had started preparing for the Permanent Commission Selection Board for Women Officers. The Selection Board will be scheduled as soon as all eligible SSC Women Officers exercise their option and complete proper documentation.

Women officers in the Indian Army have been striving for some time to ensure equal opportunities for all defence personnel, including eligible women officers.

Last year in November 2019, the Supreme Court had directed the Army to take a decision on permanent commission to eight women army officers, who had approached the top court in 2010, against the bar on their absorption in the armed forces.