Indian Army facing shortfall of more than 6,000 officers

The Indian Army is struggling to fill important positions lying vacant for a while. The army at the moment has a shortage of around 2094 Majors and 4,734 Captains. These ranks are crucial in terms of leading soldiers in multiple operations.

The Army, Navy and Air Force are also short of doctors, dentists and nurses.

According to a reply written by Junior Defence Minister Ajay Bhatt for questions posed by Rajya Sabha MPs Kumar Ketkar and Jebi Mather Hisham, the reasons cited for the situation are “low intake” during pandemic and limited recruitment in other cadre entries.

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“The shortage of Majors and Captains can be attributed to ‘low intake’ during the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer recruitments in all support cadre entries, mainly consisting of short-service commission and other service entries,” junior Defence Minister Ajay Bhatt told Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Monday.

Bhatt also informed that a proposal to find a solution to the problem by making short-service entry more attractive is being considered.

At present, the Navy and IAF also have shortages in the top positions. The Navy has vacant positions for around 2,617 officers in Lieutenant Commander and below ranks. Similarly, the Indian Air Force is facing a shortage of 940 Flight Lieutenants and 881 Squadron Leaders.