India recruits female sailors for its Navy for first time

Though women have been inducted into the Indian armed forces since the 1990s, they have only served as officers.

HILLARY ESSIEN • June 20, 2022

Indian female sailors used to illustrate the story [Photo Credit: The Print]

India has announced that it will recruit women for its Navy for the first time through the new Agnipath scheme this year.

On Sunday, chief of personnel Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said the exact number of women to be inducted this year is still to be finalised.

“The Agnipath scheme in the Navy will be gender-neutral. As we speak, 30 women officers are sailing on board frontline warships. We have decided that the time has come to recruit women sailors as well, and in all trades which will include women who will go to sea,” Mr Tripathi said.

The first batch of inductees will begin training at the naval establishment INS Chilka in Odisha on November 21.

Though women have been inducted into the Indian armed forces since the 1990s, they have only served as officers. The Indian Army, in 2019, started inducting about 100 women below officer ranks into the Corps of Military Police. Further recruitment had been withheld due to the Covid pandemic.

Times of India reported that at this time, women make up just 3,904 of the force, with 1,705 women in the Army, 1,640 in the Air Force and 559 in the Navy.

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