Source - Mindler

Introduction

Women in frontline combat roles in the Indian Army are more of a romantic notion than an implementable idea, at least for now.

In 2019, the Navy, the Air Force, and therefore the Army had inducted 54, 77, and 364 women respectively. The number of female personnel within the Indian soldiers is 9,449, consistent with information shared by the government in parliament. 

Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik said, there is 685 women personnel within the Navy, 1,872 within the Air Force, and 6,892 within the Army. In a written reply to an issue in Lok Sabha, the minister said the Indian Army and therefore the Indian Navy have inducted 102 and 18 women this year thus far.

As of 2020, women aren't allowed to serve in combat units like Infantry, Mechanized infantry, armored corps, and Artillery. On 17 February 2020, the Supreme Court of India said that ladies officers in the Indian Army can get command positions at par with male officers. The court said that the government’s arguments against it were discriminatory, disturbing, and supported stereotypes. 

The court also said that permanent commission should be available to all or any women, no matter years of service, which this order must be implemented in 3 months. The government had earlier said troops wouldn't accept women as commanding officers. Consequently, 8 more corps or branches began to induct women as commissioned officers.

Last year, in a landmark move, the Narendra Modi government decided to grant permanent commission to women in all ten branches where they are inducted for Short Service Commission — Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Intelligence.

So, the clamor is based on a lack of understanding, given the force already provides a permanent commission to women.

The First Services in Army

In 1888, the role of women in the Indian army began when the “Indian Military Nursing Service” was formed during British Rule. During 1914–45, British Indian Army nurses fought in war I (1914– 18) and war II (1939-45), where 350 British Indian Army nurses either died or were taken prisoner of war or declared missing in action.

This includes nurses who died when SS Kuala was sunk by the Japanese bombers in 1942. Women’s Auxiliary Corps (India) was formed in May 1942. Noor Inayat Khan, George Cross (2 January 1914 – 13 September 1944), of Indian and American descent, was a British heroine of war II renowned for her service within the Special Operations Executive. 

Kalyani Sen, a second officer, and first Indian servicewoman who visited the UK served in the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service of the Royal Indian Navy during World War II.

There was a women's regiment under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose‘s Indian National Army called the Rani of Jhansi Regiment that was one of that sort during war II.

Women officers were inducted into the military in 1993. Initially, they were given five years of service under the “Special Entry Scheme”, which was then converted into Short Service Commission (SSC).

In 2008, a permanent commission was extended to women in streams of Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps. Geneve Lalji, Corps of Military intelligence, is the first woman to be an attache to a military Commander.

A Smooth and Fast Integration into Navy

In October 1976, Dr. Barbara Ghosh became the primary woman officer within the Indian Navy to achieve the rank of commander. Having joined the navy in 1961, she was also the primary woman medic to receive a permanent naval commission. 

Dr. Punita Arora, commissioned in 1968, is the first woman within the Indian Navy to succeed in the second-highest rank as the general officer and therefore the first female flag officer.

Padmavathy Bandopadhyay is the first woman sky marshal of the IAF and therefore the second woman within the Indian soldiers to be promoted to a three-star rank after Lt. General Punita Arora.

On 8 March 2018, International Women’s Day the 6 member crew of INSV Tarini that took part in Navika Sagar Parikrama namely Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi, Lt Cdr P Swathi, Lt Cdr Pratibha Jamwal, Lt Payal Gupta, Lt Aishwarya Boddapati, and Lt Shourgrakpam Vijaya Devi were conferred Nari Shakti Puraskar for outstanding contribution towards women empowerment.

The award was received by Lieutenant S Vijaya Devi, who is Northeast India’s first female officer on behalf of the team.

On 2 December 2019, Sub-lieutenant Shubhangi Swaroop became the primary woman pilot for the Indian Navy. She will be flying the Dornier 228 surveillance aircraft.

Elevating Women Voices in Air Force

Indian Air Force inducts women altogether roles, including combat and support roles. As of September 2020, there have been 1,875 female officers serving within the IAF, including 10 pilots and 18 navigators.

The first woman officer within the Indian Air Force, Vijayalakshmi Ramanan, was commissioned into the military Medical Corps and was seconded to the Air Force. She retired as a commanding officer within the Air Force in 1979.

In August 1966, Flight Lieutenant Kanta Handa, an IAF medic, became the primary female IAF officer to receive a commendation for her service during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war.

In 1994, women joined the air force as pilots in support roles; Gunjan Saxena (Flight Officer) and Sreevidya Rajan were among the primary women to fly a combat zone during Kargil War (May–July 1999).

In 2006, Deepika Misra was the first IAF woman pilot to train for the Sarang display team. In 2012, Nivedita Choudhary (Flight Lieutenant), a Jat from Rajasthan, became the first woman from the Indian Air Force to summit Everest.

In 2015, the Indian Air Force opened new combat air force roles for ladies as fighter pilots, adding to their role as helicopter pilots within the Indian Air Force.

On 22 May 2019, Bhawana Kanth became the primary woman combat pilot to qualify to undertake combat missions. Women are now taking over combat roles in Indian Air Force with Avani Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh Jitarwal, and Bhawana Kanth being the primary 3 women fighter pilots Marking International Women’s Day on 8 March 8, 2020, all 3 fighter pilots were awarded Nari Shakti Puraskar.

Conclusion - Women Empowerment on a Roll 

The empowerment of girls has been a serious objective and debate within the recent past among academia and civil societies across the planet. Women empowerment is the process of adjusting the system of society or any institution that positions women as subordinate to men.

Therefore in its simplest term women empowerment may be a practice through which women acquire the power or power to exercise their rights during a society concerning their own lives.

Realizing their sense of self-worth, their right to have and determine choices, access to opportunities and resources, and their ability to influence the direction of social change to create more just social and economic order by involving themselves in the decision-making process, at local, national, also as international levels.

It involves the undoing of all the social constructions that have kept women confined to the domestic realm. Hence, women’s empowerment is significant within the development of any society or nation.

Written By - Resmita Barai

Edited By - Umme-Aiman