Women's role in defence

  Indian Air Force had 13.09% and 8.5%, Indian Navy 6% and 2.8% women, and Indian Army 3.80% and 3% in December 2018 and December 2014 respectively. 

"She believed she could, so she did".

In 1888, the role of women in the Indian army began when the "Indian Military Nursing Service" was formed during the British Raj.During 1914-45, British Indian Army nurses fought in World War I (1914–18) and World War II (1939-45), where 350 British Indian Army nurses either died or were taken prisoner of war or declared missing in action. This includes nurses who died when SS Kuala was sunk by the Japanese bombers in 1942.Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) was formed in May 1942.Noor Inayat Khan, George Cross (2 January 1914 – 13 September 1944), of Indian and American descent, was a British heroine of World War II renowned for her service in the Special Operations Executive.Kalyani Sen, a second officer and first Indian service woman who visited the UK, served in the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service of The Royal Indian Navy during World War II.There was a woman's regiment under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose 's Indian National Army called the Rani of Jhansi Regiment was one of that kind during World War II. 

In 1992, the Indian Army began inducting women officers in non-medical roles. On 19 January 2007, the United Nations first all female peacekeeping force made up of 105 Indian policewomen was deployed to Liberia.Ruchi Sharma became the first operational paratrooper in the Indian Army, joining in 1996.

Lieutenant Colonel Mitali Madhumita, commissioned in 2000, is the first woman officer in India to receive a gallantry award, who received the Sena Medal in 2011 for exemplary courage shown during the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul by terrorists in Kabul, Afghanistan on 26 February 2010, and operations in Jammu-Kashmir and the northeast states. 

Captain Swati Singh, an engineer and then only female officer in her 63 Brigade of the Indian Army, is the first female officer to be deployed at Nathu La pass as Signals in-charge. In February 2020 Madhuri Kanitkar became the third woman to become a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army. Along with her husband who is also a Lieutenant General they will be the first couple to both reach the rank. 

On 17 February 2020 the Supreme Court of India said that women officers in Indian Army can get command positions at par with male officers. The court said that the government's arguments against it were discriminatory, disturbing and based on stereotype. The court also said that permanent commission should be available to all women, regardless of years of service, and that this order must be implemented in 3 months. The government had earlier said troops would not accept women as commanding officers. Consequenty, 8 more corps or branches started to induct women as commissioned officers.

Ganeve Lalji, Corps of Military intelligence, is the first woman to be an attache to an Army Commander.

From 'India’s Miss Charming Face' to becoming an Army officer, Lieutenant Garima Yadav has had one fantastic journey.

She won the pageant in November 2017 and was selected for the next pageant at international level, which was to be held in Italy, but Garima Yadav chose to join OTA Chennai instead.

The former beauty pageant winner shattered stereotypes after she cracked the CDS (Combined Defence Services) exam in her first attempt and got into OTA (Officer's Training Academy) Chennai. 

What an inspiration, Garima Yadav has set a new milestone for girls across the country! Dream high and work hard, you will always get there!

"Keep your heels, head and standards high".