On International Women’s day ,India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and fleet tanker INS Shakti are the warships that have been assigned their first women crews since the late-1990s, said one of the officials . Women officers have been deployed in warships after over two decades by the Indian Navy.

 

“The numbers will only increase in the coming years with future warships having separate berthing facilities for women,” said a second official.

While the aircraft carrier now has a woman air traffic controller and a logistics officer, the tanker’s crew includes a woman doctor and a logistics officer, he said. Excluding the medical wing in which women have served for decades, the navy accounts for 704 women officers who form 6.5% of the overall officer cadre. T

 “They say women can’t have it all. But I would say dare to be different. The Indian Navy gave me the opportunity to be different and to dare,” said one of two women officers.

The navy has progressively opened more roles to women over recent years.

Last September, the navy announced that two women officers selected for the helicopter stream were set to become the first women in the navy’s history to operate from flight decks of warships and stay on board the vessels.

The headcount of women in the military has increased almost three-fold over the last six years, with more avenues being opened to them at a steady pace, latest government figures show.There are 9,118 women currently serving the army, navy and air force, with the services giving them more opportunities to boost career progression, the government told Parliament last month. 

Source- Hindustan Times