In a major victory for women officers, 108 of them would be promoted to the rank of Colonels in the Indian Army and the process for the same would be initiated from Monday (January 9). This is the first time that women officers would be selected for command roles in the Indian Army in branches including Engineers, Military Intelligence, Army Air Defence, Ordnance and Service, Army sources said.

The move comes soon after a woman officer has been deployed at the Siachen Glacier and more women are being given equal opportunities in almost all arms and services.

“Women are serving proudly and confidently in various operational theatres of the Indian Army. Women officers are being given opportunities at par with their male counterparts. The process for selection of Women officers to tenant command assignments in Colonel rank is in progress,” officials said.

Other measures which have already been implemented for empowerment of women officers by the Army includes consideration of all short services commission women officers' for permanent commission with their male counterparts.

As many as 20 vacancies have been earmarked for women cadets in a year for National Defence Academy. In addition, 80 vacancies are released for SSC women officers in the officers’ training academies. Direct Commissioning of women officers to Flying Branch of Army Aviation Corps has commenced from 2022.

Captain Shiva Chauhan from the Corps of Engineers has been posted at a frontline post in Siachen Glacier, in first such operational deployment of a woman Army officer at the world’s highest battlefield. The officer was posted at the Kumar post, located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet in Siachen, for a three-month stint after she underwent rigorous training. The training included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue and survival drills.