India, Feb. 14 -- Forty years after the defence housing rules came into existence, the Ministry of Defence has removed a long standing contradiction by redefining the term family for commissioned officers. Under the revised rules, it now includes parents as dependents - ending decades of exclusion faced by officers who safeguarded the nation while caring for ageing parents beyond the reach of official policy.

In a significant amendment to official accommodation rules, dating back to 1986, the Defence Ministry has expanded the definition of "family" for service officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, making parents eligible for family accommodation at duty stations. The change marks a decisive shift away from marriage-centric norms...