Defence panel reviews women’s role; Rajnath vows greater representation

The parliamentary consultative committee on defence, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was briefed on representation of women in the armed forces.

Mr. Singh spoke on the government’s commitment to provide maximum representation to women in the forces.

As per the data from Ministry of Defence (MoD), 13.4% women constitute IAF (Indian Air force) workforce — highest among all three services — while they comprise 6.85% of Army’s workforce and 6% of the Navy’s.

In 2024, there were a total of 1735 women in the Army, 1614 in the Air Force and 674 in the Navy. In 2005, the figure was 767 for the Army, 154 for the Navy and 574 for the Air Force.

12 branches in the Army are open to women officers including combat. In the Navy, all branches are open for women officers except submarines. All branches of the Air force are open for women officers.

On being asked about women’s representation in the armed forces, a senior MoD official said that they are opening more and more branches for women in the armed forces for all categories. Women are eligible for various roles, including technical and non-technical positions, and can join through different entry schemes. Most of the defence training institutes and academies have been opened for women.

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army, who led the Operation Sindoor briefing along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Air Force have become an inspiration for women aiming to join the armed forces.

Another senior defence officer said that women in the armed forces are doing remarkably well and their number is only going to increase in future as the forces adopt a more gender neutral approach.