Rajnath Singh Approves Women Officers Of The Territorial Army To Be Posted Along LOC

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday approved the posting of Women Officers of the Territorial Army along the Line of Control.

In a press release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Women Officers of the Territorial Army (TA) will now be posted with Engineer Regiments of the Territorial Army. The Officers will serve along the Line of Control and as staff officers at TA Group Headquarters/ Directorate General of Territorial Army at New Delhi, as per organisational requirement.

The Territorial Army commenced commissioning women officers in ecological task force units, TA oil sector units and TA railway engineer regiment in 2019.

The Ministry of Defence also said that depending on the experience gained during this period, the scope of further employment for women officers in TA can also be extended.

The Territorial Army is part of the Regular Army and its role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration. The TA deals with assisting during natural calamities and is involved in the maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the Security of the Country is threatened. The TA also provides units for Regulars Army as and when required. The TA officers undergo annual training on basic military skills while remaining in civilian life - like a citizen-soldiers army.

The inclusion of women in TA is aimed to be a progressive policy measure at enhancing the scope of employment of women officers in addition to meeting their professional aspirations. The recruited women will now serve and train under the same conditions as their male counterparts in a wider range of units and appointments, the ministry said.

Some reports suggest that the women officers, who are already fly fighters in Indian Air Force, will now be trained to handle howitzers and rocket systems.