The defence ministry had earlier inducted women fighter pilots into the Indian Air Force on an experimental basis. This is now being converted into a permanent scheme.
According to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, this decision is a testimony to the capability of India’s ‘Nari Shakti’ (women power) as well as the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards empowerment of women.
This decision has come three months after the Supreme Court paved the way for the entry of women into the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA).
In 2018, flying officer Avani Chaturvedi of the Indian Air Force scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo. She also flew a MIG-21 bison in her first solo flight. She was a part of a three member women team commissioned as flying officers in July 2016, less than a year after the government decided to open the fighter stream for women on an experimental basis.
