Centre pushes for all-women contingents at Republic Day parade | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Centre pushes for all-women contingents at Republic Day parade

ByRahul Singh
May 07, 2023 04:39 PM IST

To be sure, women officers have been taking part in the parade and leading marching contingents over the last few years

The government is working on a plan to ensure maximum participation of women in next year’s Republic Day parade in line with the increased roles being assigned to them in the armed forces, paramilitary and police to advance their empowerment and break gender barriers, senior officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

In a letter, the Centre has called for increased representation of women at the parade. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)
In a letter, the Centre has called for increased representation of women at the parade. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

Also read: Indian Army commissions 5 woman officers into Regiment of Artillery

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In March, the defence ministry wrote a letter (seen by HT) to the armed forces and other government ministries and departments involved in the parade, stating that the marching contingents, band and tableaux will have “only women participants”.

The letter, however, has triggered surprise and confusion in military circles as so many women may not be available for the roles envisaged, and certain marching contingents can only have men.

The drift of the letter is that steps should be taken to increase the representation of women in the parade, said one of the officials cited above, who asked not to be named.

The armed forces have taken several measures for the first time this year to promote gender equality including assigning women to command roles, grooming them for future leadership roles, and allowing them to join the regiment of artillery.

“The Republic Day-2024 parade will reflect the growing contribution of women in the service of the nation. More women will take part in next year’s parade than ever before,” said a second official, who also asked not to be named.

The decision to ensure maximum participation of women was taken after a debrief meeting held days after this year’s Republic Day parade, said the first official. The meeting, held on February 7, was chaired by defence secretary Giridhar Aramane, and attended by senior representatives of the army, navy, air force, ministry of home affairs, ministry of housing and urban affairs, ministry of culture, ministry of education, Central Public Works Department, and the National Cadet Corps.

Weeks after that meeting, the defence ministry’s ceremonial wing issued a letter on March 1 to the armed forces and the other ministries and departments stressing on women playing a key role in the next parade.

“After the detailed deliberations, it has been decided that the Republic Day Parade, 2024 will be having only women participants in the contingents (marching and band), tableaux and other performances during the Parade at Kartavya Path,” the letter stated.

It asked all the participating ministries, departments and organisations to start preparations for this, and share the progress made with the defence ministry from time to time.

“Irrespective of what the letter states, the government will only do what is practical,” said the first official.

It’s not possible to include women participants in all marching and band contingents, said another official.

“For instance, women have not been inducted in infantry, which has the maximum number of marching contingents at the parade. Officers lead the marching contingents which consist of personnel below officer rank (PBOR). The army has women in the PBOR cadre only in the Corps of Military Police,” he said.

To be sure, women officers have been taking part in the parade and leading marching contingents over the last few years, as part of the government’s focus on Nari Shakti.

Women in uniform are no longer on the fringes but are being assigned central roles on a par with their male counterparts across the three services – they are flying fighter planes, serving on board warships, being inducted in the PBOR cadre, eligible for permanent commission, being assigned command roles, and undergoing training at the National Defence Academy. However, tanks and combat positions in the infantry are still no-go zones for women.

Also read: Soon, a gender-neutral selection board in Indian Army

In March, Colonel Geeta Rana, became the first woman army officer to assume the command of an independent unit in the sensitive Ladakh sector where India and China have been locked in a lingering border row for three years. In early January, the army for the first time deployed a woman officer, Captain Shiva Chouhan, at Siachen, the world’s highest and coldest battleground. It also army deployed its largest contingent of 27 women peacekeepers in Sudan’s disputed region of Abyei, where they are performing security-related tasks in a challenging mission as part of the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA).

On April 29, five lady cadets were commissioned into the regiment of artillery as lieutenants for the first time.

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