New Delhi: As many as 1,733 women are serving in the Indian Army, excluding AMC, ADC and MNS, as on January 1, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
This information came as a written response from the Minister of State for Defense Ahay Bhatt who was replying to a question from Communist Party of India MP Sandosh Kumar P enquiring about the number of women in the Indian Army in medical and non-medical cadres. According to the information provided by MoS Ajay Bhatt, there are 1,212 women in Army Medical Corps (AMC), 168 in Army Dental Corps (ADC), and 3,841 in Military Nursing Service (MNS) as on July 1.
On whether the government has any plan to increase the number of women in the Indian Army, Bhatt in his response apprised the members of the major initiatives taken up by the Ministry to increase women's representation in the Army and said that "20 vacancies for Women Army cadets per year have been allotted in National Defence Academy, Pune with effect from July 2022."
He further said, "Short Service Commission has 90 vacancies for women including 10 additional vacancies increased with effect from June 2023. Approvals have come for the induction of women officers into Artillery units and Remount and Veterinary Corp." The minister added, "Entry of Women officers as pilots in Army Aviation has commenced with effect from June 2021 and that the enrolment of women as Other Ranks in Corps of Military Police in the Indian Army has commenced since 2019."
