The Government has decided to induct women in all military combat roles in the future. The announcement has been made by President Pranab Mukherjee during the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The President said, “In our country, shakti is the manifestation of female energy. This shakti defines our strength. My government has approved the induction of women as short service commission officers and as fighter pilots in the IAF. In the future, my government will induct women in all fighter streams of our armed forces.”

It should be noted that even the US army does not have women in infantry and armoured units. This decision signals a radical change in the army, which, up until now, did not allow women to serve on submarines, tank units, and in combat. Many countries do not allow women in infantry and armoured units.

Sceptics have raised questions about having women in close-combat roles and feel mixed-sex units may not be able to deliver in a war or even during counter-terrorism operations. Navies of the US, the UK and France have recently allowed women to serve on-board submarines.