Armed forces short of more than 9,000 officers

New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre told the Lok Sabha on Friday that the three Services are short of over 9,000 officers and 45,000 personnel in other ranks.

According to the data tabled in the lower house, the Indian Army — the largest of the three Services — has vacancies for 8,370 officers and 35,174 personnel of other ranks, followed by the Indian Navy, which has vacancies for 1,332 officers and 10,982 personnel of other ranks.

The Indian Air Force has shortage of 29 officers and 9,841 personnel of other ranks.

"The government has taken a number of measures to reduce the shortages. These include sustained image projection, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth," Bhamre said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

"The government has taken various steps to make armed forces’ jobs attractive, including additional family accommodation through Married Accommodation Project (MAP) and improvement in promotion prospects in the armed forces," the minister said.