NEW DELHI, Nov 5: A plan to give female soldiers, sailors, and air warriors the same benefits as their officer counterparts in terms of maternity, child care, and adoption leave has been authorised by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. According to the Defence Ministry on Sunday, the choice is consistent with Singh’s goal of allowing all women, regardless of rank, to participate in the armed forces.According to the statement, the policy will assist women in the military balance their personal and professional life more successfully, which will improve their working circumstances. “A proposal to extend the rules for maternity, child care, and child adoption leave for women soldiers, sailors, and air warriors in the armed forces at par with their officer counterparts has been approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,” the statement stated.“Once the regulations are released, all women serving in the armed forces, regardless of their rank, will be eligible for this type of leave in an equal manner,” the ministry stated. Currently, women officers are entitled to 180 days of paid maternity leave for each child, up to a maximum of two children. Officials state that women officers are entitled to a total of 360 days of paid leave for childcare (if the child is under 18 years old) over their whole military tenure. According to them, 180 days of leave for child adoption are awarded following the date of a kid under one year old’s legal adoption.The ministry said in a statement that “the extension of leave rules will go a long way in dealing with women-specific family and social issues relevant to the armed forces.” It stated that “this measure will improve the work conditions of women in the military and aid them in better balancing the spheres of professional and family life.” The Ministry stated that the three services have led a paradigm change by including women as soldiers, sailors, and air warriors, in keeping with the Narendra Modi Government’s commitment to using “Nari Shakti” (women power).“The armed forces will be empowered with the bravery, dedication, and patriotism of women soldiers, sailors, and air warriors to defend the land, sea, and air frontiers of the country with the recruitment of women Agniveers,” the statement stated. “Indian women are breaking barriers in almost every field in the armed forces, from being operationally deployed in Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, to being posted on warships and dominating the skies,” the Ministry stated.“The recruitment of women into the Indian Army as soldiers in the Corps of Military Police also marked a significant milestone in 2019,” it continued. Singh has always believed that women ought to be treated equally to men in all fields.
