October 9, 2018: The Indian Army’s first step towards becoming a ‘leaner and meaner’ force is set to begin on Tuesday as top commanders in the force are set to discuss operational challenges and other reform initiatives during a week-long conference in New Delhi.
The officers will brainstorm on various issues ranging from operations and administration to logistics and human resources during the meet from October 9-15, an official statement said. The previous Army Commanders’ Conference was held in April 2018.
Commanders and directorates in Army Headquarters will debate in a collegiate on important studies that have been initiated to meet future operational challenges at the conclave. There are four studies examining the operational and optimization issues of Army and the headquarters, as well as that of human resources management aspects, the statement said.
The studies aim to improve the teeth to tail ratio, with the purpose of strengthening the structures within the Army, to make it combat ready for the future, it added. Issues related to reform initiatives in the force are also expected to be discussed at the meet.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and top commanders had last month held detailed discussions on ways to make the force “leaner and meaner”, which included carrying out an extensive organisational restructuring and downsizing of the force.
India’s Defence Ministry has announced a series of reform measures for the Army, including redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks as well as ensuring better utilisation of resources.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Monday termed the Indian Army’s practice of having only women in its nursing service as “gender discrimination”.
“It is gender discrimination, only the other way round,” a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao observed after it was informed that male nurses were not recruited into the Army’s nursing branch.
The court gave the Centre two months time to take a decision on the issue and set the date for the next hearing on the matter on 21 January 2019.
(Inputs: Times Now)
