New Delhi, December 21
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) today issued orders for upgrading 750 posts of Lieutenant-Colonels to Colonels as per the recommendations of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee Report on Cadre Reforms in the Services, which was accepted by the government earlier last week.

The implementation of the recommendations came ahead of the schedule than was expected. While in the phase-wise implementation the MoD immediately upgraded 400 posts currently held by Lt-Colonels to those of Colonels, another 350 posts presently held by Lt-Colonels will be upgraded to Colonel-rank in 2005.

Earlier reports had suggested that the implementation of the report would be done in January 2005.

In order to reduce their age profile at the combat level and ensure that they get promotions commensurate to their jobs the government had accepted the Ajai Vikram Singh report on December 16.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said that the Finance Minister had accepted the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee recommendations, which would “ensure the career prospect of army officers and reduce the combating level age of commanding officers”.

The acceptance of the recommendations would benefit 90 per cent of army officers who would get faster promotions to commanding levels.

The recommended — and now being implemented — upgradations would entail chain upgradations from Major to Lieutenant-Colonel and from Captain to Major so as to retain existing (pre December 16) authorisation in the grade of Major and Captain.

An official spokesperson said here that the chain upgradation would also result in lowering the age profile of battalion and brigade commanders.

The increments to the cadre of select ranks, as and when made, would be regarded as additions to the sanctioned substantive cadre strength of the respective ranks. All prescribed criteria for selection to respective higher ranks would be enforced, said the spokesperson.

On issue of orders for upgradation of the posts concerned, the War and Peace Establishments of Headquarters and Organisations would be deemed to be amended to the extent upgraded.

Formal amendments to the War and Peace Establishments will be issued by the Army Headquarters in due course.

While, the recommendations of the report is expected to create 750 additional ranks of colonels, the cases of the other two services — air force and the navy — will be processed separately.

As part of the recommendations a Lieutenant will be promoted to the rank of Captain in two years instead of the present four, a Captain will become a Major after six years instead of 10, Lt-Colonel after 13 years as against the present 18 to 19 years and Colonel after 26 years of service.

“The concept of the report was the need to decrease the age profile of field commanders at the battalion and brigade levels. Over the years we found that the average age of such commanders was on the higher side. This was not conducive to active field operations,” Defence Secretary Ajai Vikram Singh, who is also the author of the report, had said after the acceptance of the report.

“There were certain issues relating to the career prospects in the Army and the need to keep the Army as an attractive career for young people. The cumulative effect will be a younger age profile. However, this is only the first part and deals with improving the career prospects of non-select ranks. We wanted the number of years that an officer puts in service to be reduced. The Ministry of Finance today gave its consent”, he had said.