http://indiaenews.com/2006-08/17242-indian-army-11000-officers.htm
Indian Army short of 11,000 officers
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006

New Delhi - The Indian Army is short of 11,000 officers, parliament was informed Thursday.

‘With economic progress and opening up of new avenues of employment, there are other options available to the youth, other than employment in the defence services,’ Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Among the steps being taken to make army service more attractive was granting of accelerated promotions to the ranks of captain, major and lieutenant colonel after two, six and 13 years of service respectively for both permanent commission and short service commission officers, he added.

Besides, the tenure of short service commission officers had been increased from 10 to 14 years, the minister said.

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Eight cases of sexual harassment in three years

Eight cases of sexual harassment of women officers have been reported in the armed forces in the past three years.

Of these, six cases - two in the current year, one in 2005 and three in 2004 - were reported from the army, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Two cases were reported from the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2005.

No cases were reported from the navy, or from the medical, dental and nursing services, the minister said.

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No rise in suicides in defence forces

There is no ‘increasing trend’ of suicides and suicide attempts or cross-shooting cases in the defence forces.

‘The causes of some suicide incidents in the defence forces are mostly related to personal, medial or family problems,’ Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

‘A system of educating and counselling on stress related issues already exists in the defence forces,’ he said, adding this includes increased formal and informal interaction between senior and junior officers and using the services of psychiatrists and counsellors to conduct lectures and presentations on handling stress.