Women officers of the Territorial Army will now be posted along the Line of Control (LoC), with the Defence Ministry and the Department of Military Affairs approving amendments to existing cadre management provisions. The policy measure is aimed at enhancing the scope of employment of women officers and also to meet their professional aspirations, said a defence ministry statement.
“Women Officers of the Territorial Army will now be posted with Engineer Regiments of the Territorial Army serving along the Line of Control and as staff officers at TA Group Headquarters/ Directorate General of Territorial Army at New Delhi, as per organizational requirement,” it said.
The women officers will now serve and train under the same conditions as their male counterparts in a wider range of units and appointments including serving in challenging field conditions and in important staff appointments, the statement said.
The Territorial Army had begun commissioning of women officers in 2019. However, these officers were thus far able to serve only the Ecological Task Force Units, TA Oil sector units and TA Railway Engineer Regiment.
“Based on the experience gained during this period, a considered proposal was prepared to extend the employment scope further for women officers in TA which has now been approved by the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri in April this year,” the ministry said.
The Territorial Army is based on a Citizen Soldiers’ army concept. The officers undergo annual training on basic military skills while remaining employed in civilian life.
