In A First, Indian Army Commissions Five Women Officers In Artillery Regiments

New Delhi: The Indian Army has added five female officers to its artillery regiment for the first time. After successfully completing their training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on Saturday, the female officers joined the Artillery Regiments. According to military sources, Lt. Mehak Saini, Lt. Sakshi Dubey, Lt. Aditi Yadav, and Lt. Pious Mudgil are the female officers who recently joined the Regiment of Artillery. 

Out of the five female officers, three are assigned to units stationed near China's borders and the other two are placed in "challenging locations" close to Pakistan's border, news agency PTI quoted sources as saying

After completing their training at #OTA, #Chennai, five women officers were commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery for the first time ever. The Director General of Artillery (Designate), welcomed the Women Officers in the Regiment during the #POP.#IndianArmy… pic.twitter.com/MKbn5xAEMz — ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2023

The women being commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery are being provided exactly the same opportunities and challenges as their male counterparts (19 male officers are also commissioned into the Artillery), the Indian army said. 

According to officials, these young women officers are being posted to all types of artillery units, where they will get adequate training and exposure to handle Rocket, Medium, Field and Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) and equipment in challenging conditions. 

महिला अधिकारियों के पहले बैच को भारतीय सेना की आर्टिलरी रेजिमेंट में शामिल किया गया।

चेन्नई के अधिकारी प्रशिक्षण अकादमी (OTA) में सफलतापूर्वक प्रशिक्षण पूरा करने के बाद 5 महिला अधिकारी आज आर्टिलरी रेजिमेंट में शामिल हुईं। pic.twitter.com/WRcO7dnU3h — ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 29, 2023

The commissioning of women officers into the Regiment of Artillery is a testament to the ongoing transformation in the Indian Army, a source said.

In January, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande announced the decision of commissioning women officers into artillery units. The proposal was later approved by the government.