According to officials familiar with the situation, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the training of its first batch of agniveers, which includes women, at the INS Chilka training facility in Odisha. Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi visited the facility on Tuesday to evaluate how their training is going.
Of the 3,000 trainees in the first group of Agniveers for the navy, 341 are female.
The first batch of Agniveers reported to INS Chilka at the end of November, when Vice Admiral Tripathi engaged with the trainees and received a briefing on their readiness for training.
Vice Admiral Tripathi was also given a briefing on the actions done to welcome female Agniveers. The spokesperson claimed that by instilling in them the duty, honour, and courage that are the essential values of the navy, he encouraged them to pursue their vocations. The Agnipath concept for short-term soldier induction into the three military was used to select the recruits. Agniveers are those who are hired through the new system.
INS The vast lakeside campus of Chilika previously got a number of facilities to make life simpler for women considering a career in the navy. The navy took several measures to make the training establishment women-friendly, including earmarking two new accommodation blocks exclusively for them, installing sanitary pad vending and disposal machines, establishing more toilets for women trainees and a separate dining area and hiring women staff.
This is the first time that women are being recruited as sailors; they were first allowed to join the navy thirty years ago as officers.
Security cameras have been installed at INS Chilka, and women have been hired as matrons, swimming instructors, and sweepers, among other modifications. 50 policemen in various roles, including 13 female officers, are stationed at the training centre.
Teams from INS Chilka were sent to the training grounds of the Corps of Military Police, Border Security Force, and Central Industrial Security Force (all of which train women). Before setting the training schedule and making any changes, the information gathered was condensed.
The Agnipath initiative, which will replace the current recruitment system and reduce the age profile of the armed services while also ensuring a fitter military and developing a technically trained warfighting force capable of taking on new challenges, was unveiled by the federal government on June 14. With a 25% retention rate in the regular cadre for 15 years following another round of screening, the program’s goal is to recruit soldiers for just four years.
