Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved a set of new transformative reforms in the armed forces to make the 1.3 million-strong force leaner and meaner, reports Hindustan Times (HT).

This batch of long-pending reforms includes relocation of 229 officers from the Army headquarters, the creation of a new post of deputy chief for military operations and strategic planning, and setting up new wings for vigilance and human rights issues. It should be noted that 12 independent studies have reaffirmed the efficacy of these measures.

“Towards the Army’s capability-based modernisation needs, this would synergise and coalesce all revenue and capital spending under one organisation and effectively prioritise competing requirements with an operational focus to get better value for funds allocated by the government,” a senior Army official told HT.

Under the new setup, 20 per cent of the officers will now be moved out of the nation’s capital to forward positions along the China and Pakistan borders. On the other hand, the new informative warfare wings will look after the requirements of the future battlefield, hybrid warfare and social media realities.

A Slew Of Reforms

Also, it was the present government under PM Modi that had implemented another significant army reform of 'One Rank One Pension' for ex-servicemen, a demand which had been pending for over four decades.

The scheme has benefited over 20 lakh ex-servicemen, who have cumulatively received more than Rs. 35,000 crore under it.