Women officers still cannot serve in infantry, artillery and armoured corps-combat wings of the army deployed at the most forward locations. Times and beliefs are steadily changing, but the gender gap. Grant of permanent commission to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers is allowed in streams like Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), and Intelligence Corps in addition to the existing streams of Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC). For decades, the stereotype has been that men fly the aircraft and women serve the beverages. Indian Army has granted a permanent commission to 577 women officers since the Supreme Court verdict in February 2020. Now women can also be cadets at the National Defence Academy. Women are also being taken in as soldiers in Assam Rifles and Corps of Military Police. The Supreme Court has also given the go-ahead for command roles to be given to women.

This was the first-time women officers reached the rank of Colonel outside branches like Army Medical Corps (AMC), Judge Advocate General (JAG) and the Army Education Corps (AEC). Now there are 16 women pilots flying fighter jets like Rafale, Su30 MKI and MiG 21 Bison.Ĭombat roles in the armed forces that were only a male domain opened up for women with their inclusion as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force in 2015. Initially, three women fighter pilots were part of the first batch but numbers increased. The experimental scheme to induct women fighter pilots was started in 2016. Last year, Flight Lieutenant Bhawna Kanth became the first female fighter pilot to be part of the IAF tableau. In Republic Day parade the first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot Shivangi Singh was seen on the IAF tableau. It is a testimony to the capability of India’s ‘Nari Shakti’ and our PM Modi's commitment towards women empowerment,' Rajnath Singh said.

'The Ministry of Defence has decided to convert the experimental scheme for induction of women fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force into a permanent scheme. This means the decks are cleared for more women flying fighter jets in future.

Fighter pilot names