 "army, indian army")
The Indian Army has implemented a new fitness policy to address the “declining physical standards among officers” and the rise of “lifestyle diseases,” the Indian Express reported on Monday.
The new policy imposes punitive action for overweight personnel with no improvement within 30 days. It also introduces additional tests for army personnel.
Notably, the new guidelines designate a Brigadier rank officer for the procedure. Under the previous structure, a commanding officer handled quarterly tests, and each personnel member maintained an Army Physical Fitness Assessment card (APAC).
The new policy is a bid to bring uniformity in the testing process, the report added.
Under the present rules, Battle Physical Efficiency Test (BPET) and Physical Proficiency Test (PPT) tests are conducted quarterly. The BPET requires individuals to complete a set of physical exercises, including running, sprinting, and climbing a rope within a specified time based on age.
Also Read
The PPT test is also a similar set of exercises.
The results are currently included in the Annual Confidential Report (ACR).
Swimming proficiency test added in new module
In addition to these tests, a 32 km route march and a 10 km speed march every six months have been added. The new policy also calls for an annual 50-metre swimming proficiency test. The swimming test was earlier conducted only in facilities, where the resources were available.
All personnel are required to maintain their APAC cards and submit the results in 24 hours to track progress.
The personnel unable to meet the fitness standards and falling within the “overweight” category will be given a 30-day grace period for making improvements, the report said. The new policy also includes curtailment of leave and TD courses as a measure to boost performance.
Under the new guidelines, officers' APACs will be linked to their ACR.
