A Union Cabinet minister has announced that the Indian government has given the green light to the Indian Army's decision to induct female officers into the Regiment of Artillery. The decision to induct women officers in Artillery was made on March 20, 2023, according to Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State for Defence.
Artillery is a combat support arm of the Army, and it is the second largest after the Infantry. It comprises various calibres of guns, surface-to-surface missiles, tracked guns, mortars and unmanned aerial platforms.
The exact number of women officers who will be inducted into the Artillery will be determined when the next batch is commissioned from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai later this year.
On March 1, 2023, the government also approved the induction of female officers in the Remount and Veterinary Corps. In addition, female officers also serve in Services, which include the Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), Army Education Corps (AEC), Judge Advocate General Branch (JAG Br), Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Medical Corps, Army Dental Corps, and Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC). They also serve as nursing officers in the Military Nursing Service.
The defence services have opened entry for female candidates in the National Defence Academy (NDA), with 19 cadets, including 10 for the Army, joining the academy every six months. The first batch of female cadets started training at the NDA from July 2022, and the second batch from January 2023. Since 2021, the Army has also provided opportunities for female officers to serve as pilots in the Army Aviation Corps.
With this latest decision, women will now serve in all arms except for the Infantry and Armoured Corps, which are considered to be fighting arms.
(Image source: PTI)