In a first, Army to recruit women jawans on August 1

New Delhi: First women recruitment rally as soldier in Indian Army’s military police will be held in Belgaum on August 1 for candidates of five Southern states of Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Also candidates from Union Territories of Lakshadeep, and Andaman and Nicobar islands will be participating in the rally which will be held from August 1-5.  

Some 15,000 candidates had registered from the Southern states for the recruitment out of which 3,000 have been short-listed on the basis of their matriculation marks. Some 100 pan India vacancies for women have been released in 2019 for this category.

Similar number of vacancies are likely to be made available each year for the next five years to meet the Indian army requirement.

At present, women are allowed in select areas such as medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the Army.

It was nearly two years ago that Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat had said women will be recruited as jawans.

The role of the military police includes policing cantonments and Army establishments, preventing breach of rules and regulations by soldiers, maintaining movement of soldiers as well as logistics during peace and war and extending aid to civil police whenever required.

The defence ministry had given a go ahead to induct women as military police in January.

During the recruitment rally, after initial scrutiny of candidates for height, they will have to undergo ‘physical fitness tests’ in which they will have to run a timed distance of 1.6 kilometres and need to qualify in the 10 feet long jump and three feet high jump.

Thereafter, candidates will undergo ‘physical measurement test’ in which height and weight will be measured.

The candidates who are successful in the physical fitness test and physical measurement tests will undergo medical exam by a team of doctors from Army Medical Corps at Military Hospital. Candidates who clear the medical examination would undergo a written test at Army Recruiting Office on 27 October 2019. “Successful candidates as per merit list drawn would be enrolled into Corps of Military Police in December 2019,” said sources.