CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -It is not that women officers did not reach the rank of Colonel or beyond in the past, but they were only in two branches - the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch and the Army Education Corps - where they were granted permanent commission in 2008.

Detailed explanation-2: -Streams for women in the Armed Forces Those streams include the Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Aviation Corps, Intelligence Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch and Army Education Corps.

Detailed explanation-3: -Meet Indian Army’s Captain Shiva Chauhan Captain Shiva Chauhan is the first woman officer of the Indian Army to be posted at the Siachen Glacier. She is from Rajasthan. Chauhan belongs to the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers. The Corps is composed of three groups - Bombay Sappers, Bengal Sappers, Madras Sappers.

Detailed explanation-4: -Captain Abhilasha Barak has scripted history as she is now the first woman officer to join the Indian Army as a combat pilot.

Detailed explanation-5: -The only exceptions are a combat role in the Indian Army and specialist brigades such as the Parachute and Artillery regiments although non-combatant roles are still open to women. The percentage of serving women personnel for the following branches of the Indian armed forces are given below: Indian Air Force: 13.09%