Wary of overweight officers, the Army is tightening norms for ensuring that the men in the force remain fit. The Army will no longer be promoting officers or will give transfers and also not allow officers to attend to attend ceremonial functions if they do not slim down and lose weight.
As per a report in the Hindustan Times, overweight army officers and soldiers will be taken to task as the Army is going for a zero-tolerance policy towards obesity. The decision to crack a whip in its rank and file is being taken after it was found that a third of the soldiers surveyed among the 767 were overweight.
Being the world’s third largest army, a lack of fitness in the force may even be a question mark on how ready are the officers for combat. Effective from May, the Army has said that all personnel must undergo an annual “obesity evaluation examination”.
Also, instead of passport-size photos, the annual confidential reports (ACRs) of the officers will now have full-size picture for any bulge around the waist, if there, to be visible.
As per the newspaper report, promotions is the Army will be taken on the basis of the waist sizes. Anybody who weighs 10% above the “ideal body weight” will not be eligible for a promotion until they shape up.
If the order of a promotion is issued before the ACR report comes out, the said personnel will not be allowed to wear the next rank till it is certified by the commanding officer that he has lost weight and now has the ideal weight.
Despite having cleared their entrance exams, career advancing forces will also not be open for officers with bulging waistlines.
The idea is said to have been the brainchild of previous army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag. The decision was taken last August as the former Army chief was appalled by the obesity of the men under his command.
