Months after Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat promised to allow women to be recruited as ‘jawans’–called other ranks in military parlance--in select non-combat streams, the process starts from Thursday.
Online registration for recruitment in the Corps of military police has been opened from Thursday and the last date for application is June 8. This Corps does not come in direct contact with the enemy.
So far, women have been inducted only as officers in the Army and this is the first time they would be taken in as jawans or in the other ranks.
The project for recruiting women in the Military Police was okayed by the Ministry of Defence in January after a detailed study to induct women in the military police with an aim to enhance their representation in the three services.
Women, even those recruited as officers, are not on direct combat with the enemy, though they have been drafted into the Corps of Signals and Corps of Engineers and get posted in forward locations.