Women To Be Recruited For Military Police By Year-End: Army Chief

Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat has said that the recruitment of women in the Corps of Military Police (CMP) is likely to “start before the year ends”.

Last year, the chief had announced that the women will be recruited for the first time for ranks other than officers in the army. However, he had not mentioned any date for the recruitment then.

About 800 women are expected to be recruited by the army. A batch of 52 will be recruited in the first year, TOI reported.

Also: Ministry Of Defence: No separate battalions for women in combat roles

He said, “We are working on the induction of women in CMP below officer rank and it will definitely happen this year. The recruitment could start before the end of this year.”

Need to include women in CMP

The army chief feels it necessary to include women in the CMP to tackle matters of gender-specific crimes and allegations. He had said it earlier that increasing gender-specific crime requires the inclusion of women in CMP. Calling it a good idea, he said that they need to examine it in detail for its proper execution. He has also mentioned that the youth should join the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to begin with.

The army chief's comments came during his trip to Dehradun on Sunday (March 18). On the issue of whether the Ministry of Defence would take over the running of state-run medical colleges in Uttarakhand, Rawat indicated that it might happen. Last year, the Defence ministry had rejected the proposal.

The army chief has mentioned that the matter has been discussed with the chief minister. They said that they cannot take over the college (Srinagar Medical College). However, they are trying to find ways of what can be done.

The army chief refused to make any statement regarding the deficiency of weapons and equipment’s in the armed forces, as alleged by the vice-chief. However, when asked again, he said that “weapon procurement doesn’t happen overnight”.

Picture Credits: Sarkarimirror.com

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