NEW DELHI: The government is looking to have an all-women Republic Day Parade 2024 in which only the women will participate in tableaux and cultural performances, besides the marching contingents and band. However, the stakeholders have been raising issues as the plan has “practical problems”.
The decision was taken after this year’s Republic Day while at a debriefing meeting of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), services and various other ministries and departments. The meeting was chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane in February, according to an Office Memorandum (OM) issued on March 01, 2023.
The OM says, “After the detailed deliberations, it has been decided that the Republic Day 2024 will be having only women participants in the contingents (marching and band), tableaux and other performances during the Parade at Kartavya Path,”.
The OM has been sent to “all the participating ministries, departments, organisations and agencies” and has been, “therefore, requested to start the preparation accordingly from now,”. The progress in this regard may be apprised to MoD from time to time.
But, as the sources say, with the subsequent deliberations on the issue, since the original OM was issued, the matter continues to be discussed. It has also sent a letter to ministries like home affairs, culture and urban development about its decision.
It must be noted that the women have been participating in the marching contingents of Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces as contingent commanders and deputy commanders. In its process to promote gender equality, several steps have been taken which include giving command roles to women officers, grooming them for future leadership roles, and allowing them to join the regiment of artillery.
Apprehensions have been raised regarding the initiative since the OM was issued. While the services do not have women in the soldier ranks barring a small number of women into the Corps of Military Police in the Army and the Navy which allowed women to join the service as Agniveers.
The maximum number of the Marching Contingents is from the Infantry of the Indian Army which doesn’t allow women, neither as officers nor at the personnel below Officers Rank. There are no women in the Armoured Regiment of the Army also.
It was only last month that the first batch of five women officers were inducted into the Regiment of Artillery, a decision which was taken by Army Chief General Manoj Pande in January this year.
Women officers of Territorial Army to get posted at LoC
In a major development, the Ministry of Defence, Department of Military Affairs, has approved an amendment to existing cadre management provisions for Women Officers of the Territorial Army (TA).
Women Officers of the Territorial Army will now be posted with Engineer Regiments of the Territorial Army serving along the Line of Control and as staff officers at TA Group Headquarters/ Directorate General of Territorial Army at New Delhi, as per organizational requirement.
Territorial Army commenced the Commissioning of Women Officers in TA in 2019. Thus far these Woman Officers were able to serve Ecological Task Force Units, TA Oil sector units and TA Railway Engineer Regiment. Based on the experience gained during this period, a considered proposal was prepared to extend the employment scope further for women officers in TA which has now been approved by the Defence Minister in April this year.