Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat (File Photo)

DEHRADUN: Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat who was in Dehradun on Sunday said that the recruitment of women in the Corps of Military Police ( CMP ) will “start before the year ends”. The chief had announced last year that women will be recruited at ranks other than officers in the Army for the first time although he hadn’t specified any date for the recruitment.

The Army is expected to induct 800 women, and in the first year, a batch of 52 will be recruited. “We are working on the induction of women in CMP below officer rank and it will definitely happen this year. The recruitment could start before the end of this year,” Rawat said. The Army chief had earlier said that in the light of increasing requirement for investigation into gender-specific crimes and allegations, it was felt necessary to introduce women in CMP.

The Army chief also commented on the recommendation of a parliamentary committee that had suggested compulsory military service for those applying for central government jobs. “It is a good idea but it needs to be examined in detail first. Perhaps it would be better if the candidates first join National Cadet Corps (NCC),” Rawat said.

Last year, a proposal had also been sent to the Army to take over the running of staterun medical colleges in Uttarakhand but it was subsequently rejected by the ministry of defence.

However, Rawat’s comment on Sunday indicated a possibility of it happening. He said, “I have discussed the matter with the CM. We cannot take over the college ( Srinagar Medical College ) as it needs to be completely revamped before we do so. We are looking at what can be done in this regard.”

On the deficiency of state-of-the-art weapons and equipment in the armed forces as alleged by the vice-chief, Rawat initially refused to comment. However, when pressed further, he said that “weapon procurement doesn’t happen overnight. But, this doesn’t mean we will not be able to last 10 days in case of war”.

