Taking up the toughest challenge, Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Fire and Fury Sappers Corps has become the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the highest inhabitable battlefield in the world, Siachen.
The latest move is a step towards gender neutrality, that the three services have adopted of late to minimise the male-dominated presence in the forces without compromising operational capabilities.
Captain Shiva Chauhan was deployed at Kumar Post, which is at Siachin, post completion of arduous training. Fire and Fury Sappers Corps tweeted on Tuesday to acknowledge the historic feat and possibly appreciate that more women would be “breaking the glass ceiling,” as the caption of the social media post stated.
The central government has already taken steps from 2019 to increase its female cadre base in various armed forces services by opening the National Defence Academy to other than male candidates. The first batch of 19 women cadets joined the NDA for a three-year course in Khadakwasla, Pune.
Not just the Army, but women’s deployments at strategic locations have gone up, and avenues for flying fighter jets have also been opened up. Since last year, the Navy has also started deploying two women officers each at the warships -- re-introducing the practise discontinued 23 years ago due to logistical issues.
Early last year, 83 women jawans also, for the first time, joined the Corps of Military Police. The Army plans to take the women personnel strength to 1,700 in the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the CMP in the next at least a decade and a half.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force are also recruiting women through the latest Agnipath scheme of temporary employment for four years in the constabulary.