New Delhi: In a move to enable the spouses of Army personnel play a bigger role, Indian Army has moved a concept note aimed at making the spouses brush up knowledge of the Army’s history and global issues and learn to handle the social media.

This is to give the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) a wider role and have a deeper ‘spouse support system.’

The Army also wants the AWWA to effectively link to the Central Government’s schemes for women such as Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Mudra Loan, Awas Yojana and Ujwala scheme. However, the note has not been okayed yet.

The need has been felt as the husband rises in service, the spouse is asked to shoulder wider responsibilities. These may be associated with managing Army-run schools in remote areas, skill centres, medical outfits, children hostels, shopping arcades within military stations and issues related to marital discord among troops.

“These responsibilities which were once merely ‘ex-officio’ have to be dealt with in a far more engaged manner today, because they have become more complex and have acquired financial and legal overtones,” says the 37-page concept note which has been circulated.

Rising aspirations mean there is a need to transit to a more modern framework of engagement, says the note.

The note observes that Army spouses are presently employing ‘empathy’ to redress myriad issues, including alcoholism, discord, stress and depression.

The Army’s ‘spouse training’ will involve upgrading the skills on family matters. The spouses will be trained to have basic working knowledge of law to be able to appreciate legal advice on litigations in family courts.

For spouses of Generals, a high level of security consciousness aligned to the prevailing geo-political situation in the country as also the security outlook of the Army is in focus, considering they attend major international events.