In A First, Indian Army Commissions Five Women Officers In Artillery Regiments

The women officers have joined the Regiment of Artillery after successfully completing their training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.

New Delhi: The Indian Army has added five female officers to its artillery regiment for the first time. After successfully completing their training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on Saturday, the female officers joined the Artillery Regiments. According to military sources, Lt. Mehak Saini, Lt. Sakshi Dubey, Lt. Aditi Yadav, and Lt. Pious Mudgil are the female officers who recently joined the Regiment of Artillery. 

Out of the five female officers, three are assigned to units stationed near China's borders and the other two are placed in "challenging locations" close to Pakistan's border, news agency PTI quoted sources as saying

The women being commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery are being provided exactly the same opportunities and challenges as their male counterparts (19 male officers are also commissioned into the Artillery), the Indian army said. 

According to officials, these young women officers are being posted to all types of artillery units, where they will get adequate training and exposure to handle Rocket, Medium, Field and Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) and equipment in challenging conditions. 

The commissioning of women officers into the Regiment of Artillery is a testament to the ongoing transformation in the Indian Army, a source said.

In January, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande announced the decision of commissioning women officers into artillery units. The proposal was later approved by the government.