Marginal shortage of pilots in IAF: Minister

New Delhi : There is a marginal shortage of pilots in the Indian Air Force, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, though it did not give the exact figures.

"There is a marginal shortage of pilots in the Indian Air Force against the authorised establishment. However, the available strength of pilots in the IAF is sufficient to meet the current operational requirements," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply.

"With the accretions sanctioned by the government in the recent past, these shortages will be mitigated," the Minister said.

In the Navy, the pilot shortage is 82 as against the sanctioned strength, while this figure for the Army is 192.

There are 653 pilots in the Indian Navy, and 602 in the Indian Army.

The Minister said that in a bid to bridge this gap, the induction process has been streamlined and simplified, and proactive steps are being taken by the armed forces to reduce the shortage, which includes participation in career fairs, exhibitions, advertisements in print and electronic media, motivational lectures in schools and colleges, visuals and signage at strategic locations.