FLYING FIGHTER AIRCRAFT: A STEP TOWARDS GENDER EMPOWERMENT
FLYING FIGHTER AIRCRAFT: A STEP TOWARDS GENDER EMPOWERMENT
Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal
When women got the right to vote and to get elected in elections through the Constitution of India after the independence in 1947, it ushered a new era in the process of gender empowerment. This decision of the Constitution makers first gave recognition to women's contribution in the freedom movement and nation building. Women are deprived of all powers and freedoms since time immemorial irrespective of any society, culture and nature of government. They are the most discriminated in both family and society. Only a few urban born, rich and influential daughters, wives, widows and mothers enjoy the opportunity to take partial role in decision making at home, society and state. However, the latest decision of the Defence Ministry, it seems, is the late understanding of the concept - 'To build a new India meant to build a new outlook', which was written by Hazel D'Lima in her book 1983 book - The Social Emergence of Women in Modern India.
With the recent decision of the Defence Ministry I only express my satisfaction for its affirmative action that highlights that, "After successful completion of ab-initio training, they would be commissioned into the fighter stream in June 2016. Thereafter, they would undergo an advanced training for one year and enter the fighter cockpit by June 2017." This decision is landmark in the empowerment of women. Thus, it gives me immense pleasure because from now women would be able to fly combat aircraft. Though it is a fact that, women are already serving in the Indian Air Force as pilots of transport aircraft and helicopters, but they were not allowed into the combat arms such as infantry and armoured corps, warships and fighter aircraft. At present, the Army inducts women in signals, engineers, aviation, air defence, electronics and mechanical engineers, Army Services, Army Ordinance Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Eeducation Corps and the Judge Advocate-General branches. In the Navy, they are allowed into all branches other than submarines, other ships and flying.
Data presented by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Parliament in August (2015) shows that the Armed forces had granted permanent commission to 340 women officers. The number is miniscule, given the fact that the military has over 60,000 commissioned officers.The armed forces employed women, after much negotiations, only as doctors or nurses, and started allowing them to serve as short service commission officers in the nineties only. Whereas different countries like the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Pakistan, Israel, UAE and even Pakistan allowed their women to enter into combat duties, including fighter pilots, while my Indian sisters were neglected their legitimate rights. Since 1994 when Harita Kaul Deol first flew Indian Air Force aircraft, it took 21 years for the Indian Government to take its decision to bring its daughters in the pilot's seat of the fighter aircraft's cockpit.
It is interesting to note that, at present the IAF has around 1500 women officers, of whom 94 are pilots and 14 navigators. It was argued, so far, by the anti-women empowerment group bureaucrats and political leaders that after the child birth women's body gets loosened, and their dexterity gets waned with the advancement of age. Besides, the government spends over Rs. 13 crores for imparting training to a fighter pilot. They even raised their concerns regarding the marriage of women officers and having children would disrupt their careers before the investment is fully recovered. Also the risks associated with the job like possibility of their being captured as prisoners of war or the difficulties involved in the jobs. In these pretexts, the carriers of patriarchy put their arguments forward by citing that, women should not be allowed to sit in the cockpit of IAF's fighter aircraft. The question is : are the above problems not applicable to the nations that have permitted their women to enter into the combat duties? Were their leaders foolish or unwise? The Indian leaders never tried to search for the answers of these questions.
However, Indian women's organizations as well as women in-service officers were feeling insulted against Indian government's discriminatory outlook towards its women. This was a clear case of gender discrimination. However, the Judiciary is in favour of women's empowerment. The Delhi High Court recently issued two landmark orders : one in 2010, allowing permanent commission to Indian daughters in both the Army and the Air Force, and the second, in October, when a similar order was issued for the Navy. These facilitated to influence government's decision in favor of women's empowerment by eliminating discrimination in workplace. The government realized that it would not be possible to hold women back with trifle arguments.
In this backdrop, the Defence Ministry ultimately compelled to admit that, "Since their induction into the transport and helicopter streams of the IAF, their performance has been praiseworthy and on a par with their male counterparts. Inducting women into the fighter stream would provide them with an equal opportunity to prove their mettle in combat roles as well," This confession is just great and praiseworthy. But it should be remembered that at present the number of women pilots are only 94. Hence, the government should take all necessary steps to spread awareness and encourage Indian girls to join more and more in numbers into in any arm of military. The day is not far when my sisters would join and play significant role at par with their male counterpart in fighting back enemies from Indian soil and maintain peace and security of our motherland.
The end.
Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal
When women got the right to vote and to get elected in elections through the Constitution of India after the independence in 1947, it ushered a new era in the process of gender empowerment. This decision of the Constitution makers first gave recognition to women's contribution in the freedom movement and nation building. Women are deprived of all powers and freedoms since time immemorial irrespective of any society, culture and nature of government. They are the most discriminated in both family and society. Only a few urban born, rich and influential daughters, wives, widows and mothers enjoy the opportunity to take partial role in decision making at home, society and state. However, the latest decision of the Defence Ministry, it seems, is the late understanding of the concept - 'To build a new India meant to build a new outlook', which was written by Hazel D'Lima in her book 1983 book - The Social Emergence of Women in Modern India.
With the recent decision of the Defence Ministry I only express my satisfaction for its affirmative action that highlights that, "After successful completion of ab-initio training, they would be commissioned into the fighter stream in June 2016. Thereafter, they would undergo an advanced training for one year and enter the fighter cockpit by June 2017." This decision is landmark in the empowerment of women. Thus, it gives me immense pleasure because from now women would be able to fly combat aircraft. Though it is a fact that, women are already serving in the Indian Air Force as pilots of transport aircraft and helicopters, but they were not allowed into the combat arms such as infantry and armoured corps, warships and fighter aircraft. At present, the Army inducts women in signals, engineers, aviation, air defence, electronics and mechanical engineers, Army Services, Army Ordinance Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Eeducation Corps and the Judge Advocate-General branches. In the Navy, they are allowed into all branches other than submarines, other ships and flying.
Data presented by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Parliament in August (2015) shows that the Armed forces had granted permanent commission to 340 women officers. The number is miniscule, given the fact that the military has over 60,000 commissioned officers.The armed forces employed women, after much negotiations, only as doctors or nurses, and started allowing them to serve as short service commission officers in the nineties only. Whereas different countries like the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Pakistan, Israel, UAE and even Pakistan allowed their women to enter into combat duties, including fighter pilots, while my Indian sisters were neglected their legitimate rights. Since 1994 when Harita Kaul Deol first flew Indian Air Force aircraft, it took 21 years for the Indian Government to take its decision to bring its daughters in the pilot's seat of the fighter aircraft's cockpit.
It is interesting to note that, at present the IAF has around 1500 women officers, of whom 94 are pilots and 14 navigators. It was argued, so far, by the anti-women empowerment group bureaucrats and political leaders that after the child birth women's body gets loosened, and their dexterity gets waned with the advancement of age. Besides, the government spends over Rs. 13 crores for imparting training to a fighter pilot. They even raised their concerns regarding the marriage of women officers and having children would disrupt their careers before the investment is fully recovered. Also the risks associated with the job like possibility of their being captured as prisoners of war or the difficulties involved in the jobs. In these pretexts, the carriers of patriarchy put their arguments forward by citing that, women should not be allowed to sit in the cockpit of IAF's fighter aircraft. The question is : are the above problems not applicable to the nations that have permitted their women to enter into the combat duties? Were their leaders foolish or unwise? The Indian leaders never tried to search for the answers of these questions.
However, Indian women's organizations as well as women in-service officers were feeling insulted against Indian government's discriminatory outlook towards its women. This was a clear case of gender discrimination. However, the Judiciary is in favour of women's empowerment. The Delhi High Court recently issued two landmark orders : one in 2010, allowing permanent commission to Indian daughters in both the Army and the Air Force, and the second, in October, when a similar order was issued for the Navy. These facilitated to influence government's decision in favor of women's empowerment by eliminating discrimination in workplace. The government realized that it would not be possible to hold women back with trifle arguments.
In this backdrop, the Defence Ministry ultimately compelled to admit that, "Since their induction into the transport and helicopter streams of the IAF, their performance has been praiseworthy and on a par with their male counterparts. Inducting women into the fighter stream would provide them with an equal opportunity to prove their mettle in combat roles as well," This confession is just great and praiseworthy. But it should be remembered that at present the number of women pilots are only 94. Hence, the government should take all necessary steps to spread awareness and encourage Indian girls to join more and more in numbers into in any arm of military. The day is not far when my sisters would join and play significant role at par with their male counterpart in fighting back enemies from Indian soil and maintain peace and security of our motherland.
The end.
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