For the first time in its 52-year existence, Punjab’s Defence Service Welfare Department will appoint retired women officers from the Armed Forces as defence services welfare officers. This would make Punjab among the first sates to take such a step.
Four women officers of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel have been short-listed by the Punjab Public Service Commission after the written examination and interview, and appointment letters would be issued shortly, sources said.
The rules for appointment of officers in the department were changed recently, allowing former short service commission officers also to apply, providing they are of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and equivalent or above. This, sources said, would enable officers to join at a younger age than permanent commission officers and serve longer.
Short service commission officers can serve for up to 14 years and can attain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after about 11 years of service. By the time they are discharged on completion of their term, they would be about 40 years old. Permanent commission officers, depending upon their rank and army, start retiring at the age of 54 years.
The Armed Forces had opened their doors to women officers in 1992 for the short service commission. Prior to that, service in the Armed Forces for women was open only in the medical stream, including the nursing service. Women in all three services are now eligible for grant of permanent commission.
The department is authorised one Director of the rank of Brigadier and equivalent and 25 officers of the rank of Colonel / Lieutenant Colonel. One officer is posted in each district while three are based at the department’s headquarters in Chandigarh.
At present, the department is functioning with just four officers besides the Director, who are handling work at the headquarters as well as overseeing the district offices. The process for filling up the vacant posts, of which the four women officers are a part, is underway and about 12 other officers are expected to join, sources said.
One issue in the appointment is that there is reservation in the posts as per rules applicable to all state government departments. The posts earmarked for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, etc cannot be filled up by general pool candidates in Punjab, which sources point out is unlike some other states where left over reserved vacancies are filled by general candidates.
