The Indian Army on Thursday scripted history of sorts when a contingent comprising women officers took part in the 67th Army Day parade in New Delhi.
The 144-women contingent is believed to have been drawn up in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s thrust on showcasing ‘Nari Shakti’ as the theme for the Republic Day.
Already, around 350 women officers, drawn from across the three services, have been undergoing early winter morning drills in Delhi for the Republic Day parade where US President Barack Obama will be chief guest.
According to media reports, it was not an easy task as finding 148 women -- one contingent commander, three platoon commanders and 144 in the marching block -- was a bit challenging for army, navy and the IAF who primarily, have a male-dominating workforce of 13 lakh.
While women have been allowed to join the armed forces since the early-1990s, they only form a very minor section with the Air Force having the highest number at 1,350 followed by the Army with 1,300 and Navy 350
The armed forces have reportedly pulled out women officers, with proper turnout, drill standards and fit enough for the 10 km march from different stations across the country for this purpose.
In addition to the contingent of lady officers, the army is also likely to showcase women who have scaled Mount Everest on a tableau. A tableau depicting an army satellite monitoring station will also be commanded by a lady officer.
Images: Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag with women officers during the Army Day parade at Delhi Cantonment.
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