Question : Promotion of MNS Officers

(a) whether the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and equivalent in the Armed forces is a time scale promotion on completion of 13 years of service and attains the rank of full Colonel on completion of 26 years of service in time scale promotion scheme but in Military Nursing Service (MNS) the promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel is still on selection basis with no provision for time scale promotion to the rank of full Colonel, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(b) whether this was a recommendation of the VI pay commission specifically for MNS, if not, the reasons for this disparity for the officers of the MNS; and

(c) if so, the corrective action initiated in this regard and the outcome thereof?

MINISTER OF DEFENCE (SHRI MANOHAR PARRIKAR)


(a) The Military Nursing Service (MNS) is a distinct service by itself as per Article 3 of Indian Military Nursing Service Ordinance, 1943, having different service conditions including separate pay structure. A Military Nursing Service (MNS) officer, on completion of 16 years of reckonable commissioned service from the date of seniority in the rank of Lieutenant, gets promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Time Scale). However, there is no provision for Colonel (Time Scale) in MNS Cadre.

(b) & (c): The VI CPC had recommended that the scheme of time bound promotions up to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel already available to Service Officers should be extended to MNS Officers as well. The aforesaid provision was already in vogue.
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