Permanent Commission to women in Armed Forces being considered

New Delhi, July 27 (UNI) The grant of Permanent Commission to women officers in the Armed Forces is being examined by the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee informed the Lok Sabha today.

''Once the Commission is granted, women will be allowed to enter defence training institutes such as National Defence Academy,'' Mr Mukherjee said during Question.

At present, women are appointed both as Short Service Commission and Permanent Commission officers only in the medical, nursing and dental services of the Defence Forces.

The Minister said the disparity in pay and rank between male and female officers in the Armed Forces had been done away with.

Women will also undergo 49 weeks of training as men, after which they would get the same rank of a lieutenant in the Army (and equivalents in Air Force and Navy), and hence the same pay-scale.

They will become Captain, Major and Lt Colonel after 2, 6 and 13 years of reckonable service, respectively.

Women officers in Short Service Commission will also get the same rank and pay-scale.

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