Army Plans to Extend Short Service Commission

Army plans to extend Short Service Commission 'to make it more attractive'

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

By : Daily Mail UK

The Indian Army's Short Service Commission (SSC) will now be made longer in the hope of making it more

attractive. The government is actively considering a proposal to give SSC officers the option of working for 18

years. The move is also aimed at addressing the problem of a shortage of officers, particularly in the lower

ranks.

The Indian Army's Short Service Commission (SSC) will now

be made longer in the hope of making it more attractive.

The government is actively considering a proposal to give

SSC officers the option of working for 18 years. The move is

also aimed at addressing the problem of a shortage of

officers, particularly in the lower ranks.

The tenure of SSC officers at the moment is 10 years, which

is extendable by four years. The army will now give these

officers an option of re-employment for another four years.

Through the new initiative, an SSC officer will have the

choice to remain in service for 18 years. After reemployment,

the officer will continue to enjoy the same rank

and respect but with a downgraded pay-scale, as is the

standard norm.

Most of the Short Service Officers retire at the rank of lieutenant colonel. They are not eligible for postretirement

benefits, which can be availed only after completing 20 years of service.

The shortage of officers has been a major problem in the armed forces. The Army was short of 8,544

officers as of January 1. The shortfall in the other ranks was 16,597 as on April 1, 2014.

The shortage of officers has been decreasing steadily in the past four years because of the introduction

of several measures.