Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said it was a matter of time India will see women in combat units of the defence forces, as in Israel and some other countries.
While virtually launching several women-centric projects on the International Women’s Day, the Punjab CM said women are now occupying positions of eminence across the globe in the new transforming world. He cited the examples of PepsiCo chairperson and the women pilots flying not just airplanes but even Rafale fighter jets. He recalled that a Hoshiarpur girl, Tania Shergill, had become the first Indian woman Parade Adjutant at the Republic Day Parade 2020.
Capt Amarinder expressed hope that India will also soon see women taking on new challenges in defence forces’ combat units. He expressed satisfaction at the fact that girls have been consistently outperforming boys in examinations, supplementing incomes of poor families through self-help groups, and even serving the nation in the defence forces, while performing their everyday role as a mother, wife, sister and daughter.
The CM called upon the people of Punjab, especially the students, to work towards ensuring equity, justice and equality for women as without the empowerment of women, no society or household could truly progress. He pointed out that the state government had already provided 33 per cent reservation in government jobs and 50 per cent reservation in elections to Panchayats and Municipal Bodies. Referring to the schemes launched today, the CM said these “out-of-box” initiatives would be instrumental in ensuring women further protection from crimes and in safeguarding their rights in letter and spirit.
The efforts were also continuing to introduce gender sensitisation curriculum in school syllabus and impart skill training to women to improve their employability, capacity building and eliminating anaemia, he said.