Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in a written reply to the query raised in the Rajya Sabha that the army is facing a shortage of over 7,900 officers and more than 90,000 vacancies for soldiers including junior commissioned officers are also lying vacant.
The Indian Navy, which is considered third in terms of the size among all three defence services, stands second in terms of manpower shortage as it is short of 1,190 officers and 11,927 sailors in its ranks. The Indian Air Force is facing a shortage of 610 officers and 7,104 men in its ranks, said Bhatt.
“These, inter-alia, include sustained image projection, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, and publicity campaign to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career,” he added.
To motivate the youth of the country to join the Armed Forces, motivational lectures are regularly conducted in school or colleges or other educational institutes and National Cadet Corps (NCC) camps, he further said.
