Territorial Army’s women officers get LoC duty nod

In another first for TA women reservists, they will now be eligible to be posted as staff officers at TA group headquarters in New Delhi.

The defence ministry on Sunday announced that women officers of the Territorial Army (TA - a voluntary, part-time citizen’s army) will be eligible to serve with TA engineer regiments along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan for the first time, with the latest push for women empowerment coming on the back of a series of measures taken by the government to give them equal roles as their male counterparts.

Employed graduates aged between 18 and 42 years are eligible to join the Territorial Army. (HT photo)

The department of military affairs, headed by chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan, amended the existing cadre management rules of women officers of the TA, with defence minister Rajnath Singh clearing the proposal to allow them to serve on the front line, officials aware of the matter said.

In another first for TA women reservists, they will now be eligible to be posted as staff officers at TA group headquarters in New Delhi, the officials added.

This progressive policy measure is aimed at enhancing the scope of employment of women officers as well as meeting their professional aspirations, the defence ministry said in a statement. “They will now serve and train under the same conditions as their male counterparts in a wider range of units and appointments, including serving in challenging field conditions and in important staff appointments.”

TA engineer regiments are responsible for the maintenance of the LoC fence, an important security feature to check infiltration attempts by Pakistan-backed terrorists.The TA began inducting women as officers in 2019.

Employed graduates aged between 18 and 42 years are eligible to join the TA, which is a part of the regular army, and don the army uniform. Under the part-time serving model, the reservists are required to serve for at least two months every year, though most of them end up serving full-time because of the organisation’s requirements.

TA units have taken part in all post-Independence wars and operations.

Women reservists were thus far allowed to serve only in the TA’s ecological task force units, oil sector units and railway engineer regiments. “Based on the experience gained during this period (the four years since the induction of women officers in TA), a considered proposal was prepared to extend the employment scope further for women officers in TA,” the statement said.

Many politicians, industrialists and other eminent personalities are a part of the TA including cabinet minister Anurag Thakur and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister and Congress MLA Sachin Pilot. Those holding honorary ranks include Indian cricketer Kapil Dev, former India cricket captain MS Dhoni and Malyalam film star Mohanlal.

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

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, as reported by HT on Sunday.

In March, the defence ministry wrote a letter to the armed forces and other government ministries and departments involved in the parade, stating that the marching continents, bands and tableaux at India’s biggest ceremonial event will have only women participants. The letter, however, 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, a senior official said on Saturday.

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, commanding units on the front line, being inducted in the PBOR (personnel below officer rank) cadre, eligible for permanent commission, and undergoing training at the National Defence Academy. However, tanks and combat positions in the infantry are still a male preserve.