ICCs against sexual harassment of women at workplace in all forces: Centre

The Internal Complaints Committees for the prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace are functional in all forces, PSUs, ordnance boards, autonomous bodies, subordinate offices and all other organisations under the Ministry of Defence, the government informed Parliament on Monday.

Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said this in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha.

He was asked whether it is a fact that under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, ministries are mandated to have an Internal Committee, to which he replied in the affirmative.

"Internal Complaint's Committees for prevention of sexual harassment of women at workplace are functional in all forces, PSUs, Ordnance Boards, Autonomous Bodies, Subordinate Offices and all other organisations under Ministry of Defence," he said in his response.

On the number of cases referred to the internal complaints committee in the last three years, he said, the figure stood at "123" and "action has been taken" in "112" cases.

In a separate response to another query, the minister shared the total number of women in different Indian Army medical cadres, as on July 1, 2023.

The figures are, Army Medical Corps (AMC) 1,212; Army Dental Corps (ADC) 168; and Military Nursing Service (MNS) 3,841, he said.

The total number of women officers in the Indian Army (excluding AMC, ADC and MNS) as on January 1, 2023, stood at 1,733.

Also, 20 vacancies for Women Army cadets per year have been allotted in National Defence Academy, Pune with effect from July 2022; and Short Service Commission has 90 vacancies for women, including 10 additional vacancies increased with effect from June 2023, he added.