Defence Minister addresses ‘SCO seminar on Role of Women in Armed Forces’

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) seminar on ‘Role of Women in Armed Forces’ was organised on October 14, in virtual mode.

Key Points

• The webinar was addressed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• During the seminar, defence minister highlighted that government has taken several steps to strengthen the role of women in the security setup in general and armed forces in particular.
• He also noted that, women have been serving in Indian Military Nursing Service with pride for more than 100 years now.
• Indian Army started commissioning women officers from year 1992. Army has now moved to induct women officers in more branches of Army as well.
• Women are also being accepted for permanent commission and will be commanding army units & battalions in near future.

Host of the seminar

This seminar was hosted by India, highlighting the role of India’s women military officers in UN peacekeeping missions at global level.

Role of women in peacekeeping missions

India has been an active participant in the deliberations on several issues which focuses on women empowerment and gender mainstreaming at different UN bodies. Indian Army has also contributed women officers as Military Observers and Staff Officers apart from forming part of Medical Units which are deployed in UN Missions.

Women Indian Armed Forces Medical Services

Women of Indian Armed Forces Medical Services headed the UN Peacekeeping mission in 1960 in Republic of Congo and assisted in setting a 400-bed hospital. India also created history in the year 2007 by deploying “all-female Formed Police Unit” for UN Peacekeeping in Liberia. In the year 2019, India deployed a Female Engagement Team under the UN Stabilization Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2021