Army considers induction of women cadres in Territorial Army battalions, say sources
New Delhi (PTI): The Army has considered inducting women cadres into the Territorial Army battalions as a pilot project, with their recruitment to be initially limited to a few battalions, sources said on Sunday.
The move is aimed at gradually opening up more opportunities for women in the force.
The Territorial Army, in its current form, came into being with the enactment of the Territorial Army Act on August 18, 1948. It was formally inaugurated by the first Indian Governor General, C Rajagopalachari, on October 9, 1949.
According to sources, the Army has considered the induction of women cadres into Territorial Army battalions as a pilot project. Their recruitment, initially, will be limited to a few battalions, and may increase subsequently in other battalions based on initial feedback, they added.
The government has been emphasising the essence of 'Nari Shakti' in the armed forces.
In a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha in March 2022, then Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt had said the combat employment philosophy of women in the armed forces is a continuously evolving process and regularly reviewed by them.
"At present, women are being commissioned in the Indian Army into 10 arms and services, viz., Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Aviation Corps, Intelligence Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch and Army Education Corps in addition to the Armed Forces Medical Services," he had said.
The Territorial Army was raised on the concept of being a 'citizen soldier's army'. Besides augmenting the organisational requirements, the Territorial Army also provides an opportunity to able-bodied volunteer citizens of India, especially those who are overage for enrollment in the regular army, to serve the nation in uniform.
Presently, the Territorial Army has a strength of approximately 50,000 personnel comprising 65 Departmental TA units such as Railway, IOC, ONGC, and Non-Departmental TA units of Infantry Battalion (TA) including Home and Hearth Battalions, Ecological Battalion (TA) affiliated to various Infantry Regiments and Engineer Regiment (TA) for maintenance of Line of Control fencing, according to its website.
The Territorial Army units were actively involved in 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations. The "Terriers" had also taken part in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Rakshak in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, Operation Rhino and Operation Bajrang in the northeast in the most active manner.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
