Soon, a gender-neutral selection board in Indian Army
A common, gender-neutral selection board will be conducted for all officers from the 2009 batch onwards.
The Indian Army has decided to introduce a common selection board for its male and female officers for promotion to the rank of colonel from 2024-25, in a move aimed at advancing gender equality in the force, officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

A common, gender-neutral selection board will be conducted for all officers from the 2009 batch onwards for promotion from the rank of lieutenant colonel to colonel, said one of the officers cited above, asking not to be named.
The development comes on the back of the army conducting a special selection board to promote 108 women officers to the rank of select-grade colonel and offering them command assignments in select branches for the first time.
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The women officers assessed by the special selection board were from the 1992 to 2006 batch and were commissioned in various arms and services, including Engineers, Signals, Army Air Defence, Intelligence Corps, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Electronics and Mechanical Engineers.
“When the special selection board was conducted (for the first time in January) for considering the women officers for command assignments, multiple policy waivers were granted for mandatory qualification, the requirement to earn reports in command of a company, and no reports earned for up to seven years by officers who had exited service and rejoined after a gap,” said a second officer, who also asked not to be named.
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There was no benchmarking of merit with their male batchmates, and equal promotion ratios were ensured, though for most batches it was higher than the corresponding batch of male officers, he said.
“With the common selection board in place from 2024-25, men and women officers will compete on merit for the same vacancies,” he added.
“Conducting a common selection board is a progressive move as women officers have been demanding that they be treated on a par with their male counterparts,” said Captain Shalini Singh, a former woman officer.
Also, women officers will be considered for selection as brigadiers along with their male batchmates with immediate effect, and they will be graded based upon their eligibility and comparative profile, the officials said.
The opening of command roles to women became possible only after the army began granting them permanent commission (PC) in 2020. With the grant of PC, women officers are gearing up to assume challenging leadership roles akin to their male counterparts, said the first official. “The army has initiated a series of concurrent actions at multiple levels to ensure that the force swiftly transits towards inclusivity by empowering women officers for leadership roles,” he said.
A special senior command course has been organised to prepare the women officers for the rigours of command by orienting them to operational, intelligence, logistics and administrative aspects of the new roles, the officials said. Also, a growing number of women is now competing for staff course at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington in Tamil Nadu, a career-advancing course that will empower them for command appointments, the officials said.
Women officers selected for command appointments are being offered the same career opportunities as their male counterparts, the officials said. “The army is a gender-neutral force which provides equal opportunities to everyone. The women officers’ cadre has shown steady growth over the last three decades. Concurrent actions by the force will ensure that the future holds bright prospects for women joining the army,” said another officer.
The upcoming commissioning of women into the regiment of artillery is the latest in a series of steps taken by the army to open more doors for them. In a first, five lady cadets, who will be among the 200-odd officers passing out from the Chennai-based Officers’ Training Academy on April 29, are expected to get commissioned into the regiment of artillery.
Women officers being commissioned from OTA Chennai will now pass out along with their male batchmates with common merit, the officials said. Also, the process of granting PC to women officers from junior batches has commenced, and they are being considered for it by gender-neutral selection boards in the 10th year of service.
Women in uniform are no longer on the fringes but are being assigned central roles on a par with their male counterparts across the three services – they are flying fighter planes, serving on board warships, being inducted in the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre, eligible for permanent commission, being assigned command roles, and undergoing training at the National Defence Academy.
To be sure, tanks and combat positions in infantry are still no-go zones for women.
