Govt has plan to increase number of women in Indian Army

Informing about the major initiatives in the recruitment of Indian Army, the Minister said 20 vacancies for Women Army cadets per year have been allotted in National Defence Academy, Pune with effect from July 2022.

New Delhi: The central government has a plan to increase the number of women in the Indian Army, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday while responding to a query of a member.

Informing about the major initiatives, the Minister said 20 vacancies for Women Army cadets per year have been allotted in National Defence Academy, Pune with effect from July 2022.

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He said that Short Service Commission has 90 vacancies for women including 10 additional vacancies increased with effect from June 2023.

However, Bhatt said, approval has been given, since March 2023 for the induction of women officers into Artillery units as well as Remount and Veterinary Corps.

He said the entry of women officers as pilots in Army Aviation commenced with effect from June 2021, and the enrolment of women in other ranks in the Corps of Military Police in the Indian Army commenced in 2019. As per the Minister, the total number of women in Indian Army medical cadres, as on July 1, 2023, is 1,212 in Army Medical Corps (AMC); 168 in Army Dental Corps (ADC); 3,841 in Military Nursing Service (MNS).

He also added that the total number of women officers in the Indian Army (excluding AMC, ADC and MNS) as on January 1, 2023 is 1,733.Bhatt was responding to the query of CPI MP Sandosh Kumar P when he asked about the number of women in Indian Army medical and non-medical cadres; and the government’s plan to increase the number of women in the Indian Army.