Feminism at its Peak..
The induction of women as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force was cleared on 24th October by the government. Inducting them (women) into the fighter stream would provide them with an equal opportunity to prove their ability in combat roles as well. As per the plan, the first women pilots would be selected from the batch which is presently undergoing flying training at Air Force Academy. After successful completion of training, they would be commissioned in the fighter stream in June 2016.
Thereafter, they would undergo advanced training for one year and would enter a fighter cockpit by June 2017. This progressive step is in keeping with the aspirations of Indian women and is in line with contemporary trends in armed forces of developed nations.
The air force currently has about 1,500 women on its rolls of which 94 are pilots (helicopter and transport aircraft) and 14 navigators. The move is in sync with global trends and will help IAF overcome shortage of officers in the fighter aircraft stream. The IAF is presently inducting women in the Transport and Helicopter stream of the flying branch, Navigation, Aeronautical Engineering, Administration, Logistics, Accounts, Education and Meteorology branches.
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- Indian Army started recruiting of Women officers in 1992.
- The first Women Cadet batch was of 25 cadets which joined Indian Army on 6th March 1993.
- Women officers unlike male have to retire early and Since the early-1990 s, women have been serving in wings like legal, education, engineering, ordinance, intelligence, signals, air traffic control.
- The first woman in the history of the Indian Army, to be selected for the ‘Sword of Honour’, Is Chennai-girl Divya Ajith In year 2010.
- She beat 244 fellow gentlemen and women cadets, to win the Best All-Round Cadet award and get the ‘Sword of Honour’, which is the highest award given to a cadet of the Officers Training Academy.
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