Taking a strong
stand against gender equality when it comes to fighting the enemy, India has
made it very clear that it has no proposal to induct women in combat roles in
the army, navy and the air force, including fighter pilots.
"There is no proposal to induct women into combat duties in the
defence forces including as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force,"
Defence Minister AK Antony told parliament.
"Induction of
women in combat duties has not been recommended by the studies carried out by
the headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) in 2006 and high level
tri-services committee in 2011" he added.
However, Antony said there was a northward trend in women officers
recruitment in the army, navy and air force since 2009.
He said there is no separate fixed sanctioned strength for recruitment
of women officers in the armed forces. They are recruited within the overall
sanctioned strength of the respective service.
There is also no proposal to launch any special recruitment drive for
rural women, he added.
The data provided
by Antony to parliament showed an over 67 per cent increase in women officers
recruitment in the last three years.
The three services
had recruited 219 women officers in 2009, of which 70 were for the army, 24 for
the navy and 125 for the air force.
The next year, the
defence services recruited a total of 277 women officers -- 93 for the army, 39
for the navy and 145 for the air force.
In 2011, the
defence forces had recruited 366 women that year, of which 164 were for the
army, 68 for the navy and 134 for the air force.
That year, the
total number of women officers in the three services stood at 1055 for the army,
288 for the navy and 936 for the air force.
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