Adjust with officers’ working wives, says Army Chief

Tribune News Service

Gen Bikram SinghNew Delhi, December 26
In an acknowledgement of changed times, Army Chief General Bikram Singh has asked Formation Commanders to work out schedules of family-oriented programmes to suit career-oriented wives of officers. He has also asked Commanders to discourage the use of officers’ messes as “five-star hotels”.

The General, in his instructions issued this week, directed that spouses of all ranks should be groomed to fulfil their role in the organisation, but added a caveat: Formation Commanders should understand the compulsions of working wives and adjust programmes to suit their schedules.

More and more young Army officers have full-time working wives and many of them have high-pressure jobs such as MBAs, doctors and bankers. The career-women find it difficult to take time off to attend meetings and functions of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA).

The Army Chief’s wife heads AWWA, technically a non-governmental organisation. At the Army Commands, the Commander’s wife heads AWWA and the wife of the senior-most commander heads the local unit. In Army hierarchy, wives are an integral part and the wife of the senior-most officer at the base is considered senior-most.

It’s an unwritten code that wives must follow rank structure and compulsorily participate in social functions.

In the past few years, there have been complaints of newly-married or recently-married wives of junior officers threatening to upset norms. Some of them have even gone ahead to complain of having to maintain hierarchy and adhere to the whims of senior officers’ wives.

Part of the reason for the directive is also explained by complaints from a handful of officers that their wives were forced to be on duty as unofficial personal staff to the wife of an Army Chief.

The Chief has also directed against wives being asked to put up song and dance and cultural programmes in units and regiments.

General Bikram Singh has also asked Commanders to discourage the use of officers’ messes as “five-star hotels”.

They have been asked to do away with the practice of putting up ostentatious lighting and decoration during festivals or ceremonies involving families of soldiers.

Fresh directive

Gen Bikram Singh asks Formation Commanders to work out schedules of family-oriented programmes to suit career-oriented wives of officers
The career-oriented women find it difficult to take time off to attend meetings and functions of the Army Wives Welfare Association
General Bikram Singh has also asked Commanders to discourage the use of officers’ messes as “five-star hotels”