Now promotion on the basis of merit in Indian Army, policy changed, but there is confusion due to one issue not being clear.

Indian Army: The Indian Army has made some changes in the promotion system for its officers. Now the merit list of all the Lieutenant Generals will be prepared on the basis of their performance. The new system will come into effect from March 31 and aims to promote merit-based selection. This new system will help the Indian Army in the selection of Lieutenant Generals serving in integrated theater commands.

This new policy will be implemented under the revised Annual Confidential Report (ACR) form for Lieutenant Generals. The new policy will not apply to deputy chiefs and commanders of the army’s six operational commands and one training command. Let us tell you that there are eight officers who are Lieutenant Generals but are one rank above other three-star generals. There are approximately 11 lakh soldiers in the Indian Army. The army has more than 90 lieutenant generals, 300 major generals and 1,200 brigadiers.

The new policy will put the Indian Army at par with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy. According to sources, till now there was no ACR system for Lieutenant Generals. Now based on different qualities they will be given rating from 1 to 9. His promotion will depend not only on seniority but also on performance. The creation of theater commands required a common evaluation system for all three services at the highest ranks of the Army.

The Army Headquarters letter did not specify whether the policy would also apply to the selection of vice chiefs and seven Army Commanders-in-Chief. As per current Army policy, promotion to the rank of Commander-in-Chief depends entirely on seniority. In which date of birth and available posts are also taken into account. A lieutenant general who heads one of the army’s 14 corps has to serve 18 months before being promoted as commander-in-chief.

Some officials are also opposing the new policy. A senior officer said, ‘In the strict structure of the Army, very few officers are selected on the basis of merit at every stage and become three-star generals. After the rank of Lieutenant General, promotion to the post of Commander-in-Chief depended on seniority. ‘Including qualifications at this level may increase the possibility of interference, whether political or otherwise.’

The policy is being implemented at a time when India has finalized the blueprint for three theater commands for China, Pakistan and the Indian Ocean region.