Under the Agnipath model for short-term induction of soldiers into the three services, nearly a million applicants—including more than 82,000 women—have registered for recruitment into the navy. The screening process is currently ongoing.
INS Prior to the arrival of the first group of Agniveer women trainees, Chilka, the navy’s basic training facility in Odisha, is undergoing a transformation. The expansive lakeside campus is receiving a host of facilities that will make life easier for the 600 women who are about to enter the naval service, a top admiral said.
Vice Admiral MA Hampiholi, who oversees the Southern Naval Command and is keeping an eye on the changes taking place at the training facility, said that the establishment is becoming more welcoming to women. This includes designating two new housing blocks specifically for them, installing sanitary pad vending and disposal machines, creating a separate dining area, and hiring women staff.
The entire spectrum of the navy’s training is handled by the Southern Naval Command, which has its headquarters at Kochi. Agniveers are the people hired via the new system.
These candidates are vying for 3,000 positions in the navy, and the new recruitment strategy anticipates that women will make up 20% (or 600) of the initial intake.
According to a senior navy commander stationed at INS Chilka, additional restrooms for female trainees have been installed, surveillance cameras have been installed, and women have been hired as matrons, swimming instructors, and safai karamcharis.
“While women trainees will have separate residential and dining areas, they will carry out all academic and training activities alongside their male counterparts,” he said. On November 21, the first Agniveeers of the navy are anticipated to start their training at INS Chilka.
“The women officers will mentor the women trainees, take care of their needs and ensure a smooth transition,” said Hampiholi. There are 50 cops working at the training facility in various positions, including 13 female officers.
All 29 of the navy’s branches and trades will accept female sailors, and they will also assign them to warships.
According to Commander Gauri Mishra, the navy has displayed exceptional forethought by carefully preparing the modifications at INS Chilka, which is a welcome and progressive move toward allowing women to serve as sailors (retd). In the first stage of Agnipath, the navy is the only branch of service to recruit women for the cadre of personnel below officer rank (PBOR). The largest warship ever constructed in the nation, the Vikrant, is expected to be commissioned on September 1 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kochi. Some of these women, who will be inducted as Agniveers early next year, are likely to be deployed on board.
