ITBP Inducts First Women Officers Into Combat Service

Times are changing; women are becoming part of every challenging field. Women empowerment is working, and now you could see women in previously male-dominated fields like construction, piloting, firefighting, etc. These days the number of women is also increasing in the defence fields like the army, navy and the air force. ITBP’s first woman officer’s recruitment also marked an important beginning in the history of the defence of India. The recruitment of women for ITBP began with the UPSC/ CAPF exams in 2016. Let us learn about ITBP, the recruitment of ITBP’s first woman officers and its impacts.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

The Indian government has many organisations like the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, etc.

ITBP stands for Indo-Tibetan Border Police. It is the main border patrol organisation for India’s border with Tibet. It is part of India’s seven Central armed police forces established during the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The Indian government enacted the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force Act to provide constitution and regulation to ITBP. The purpose of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police is to maintain the security of Indian borders and the matters connected with them.

The motto of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police is Valour, Steadfastness and commitment.

Functions of Indo-Tibetan Border Police

Let us take a look at the basic functions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are given below.

• ITBP should prevent the illegal smuggling of goods through the border and the illegal entry of immigrants.
• The peace around the border area is the responsibility of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
• In any event of a disturbance, the restoration and preservation of order in that area is the responsibility of ITBP.
• ITBP should provide security to VIPs and sensitive installations.
• Detecting and preventing border violations, guarding the northern borders, and promoting security among the local people.
• Most of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police officers are trained skiers and mountaineers.

Let us now learn about ITBP’s first women officers.

ITBP’s first Women Officers

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police inducted their first ITBP first women officers in August of 2021. Prakriti and Diksha ITBP officers are the first women officers of ITBP.  These two women joined the ITBP after they passed out of the ITBP Academy in Mussoorie. The chief minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, was present for the rank ceremony held at the academy in Mussoorie. Indo-Tibetan Border Police initiated the appointment of women combat officers through the CAPF/ UPSC and exams in the year 2016. Prakriti and Diksha are part of the 11 Assistant commandants that are the engineers and the 42 assistant commandants who are GD. A passing out parade is conducted at the academy where these two women officers participated. Diksha is the daughter of Kamlesh Kumar, who is a serving inspector in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The other woman, officer Prakriti, is an electrical engineer. 

The chief minister of Uttarakhand, Dhami, said to the first women officers in the passing out parade that they are lucky to have the opportunity to serve the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. ITBP is deployed on the borders that India shares with China and Tibet. Later the chief minister Dhami and Deswal rank of Assistant commandants on the shoulders of Prakriti and  Diksha, the ITBP’s first women officers in combat. Assistant commandant is an entry-level rank in the paramilitary. After the passing out parade and the attestation ceremony were over, Prakriti and Diksha took an oath to serve their nation. They were recruited through the UPSC, the Union Public Service Commission examination held by the central government of India. In the same ceremony, 53 commandants, out of which 11 were engineers and 42 belonged to general duty, passed out of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police academy situated in Mussoorie in the state of Uttarakhand. During this ceremony, the first-ever book on the history of ITBP was released by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The book is titled “History of ITBP”. The book aims to spread awareness about the factual history and knowledge of the ITBP to troops and officers of ITBP. According to the paramilitary force, the book will also be useful for training and administrative  purposes. The book contains all the achievements of various officers and forces since the beginning of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force. The joining of Prakriti and Diksha as the ITBP’s first women officers has marked history.

Conclusion:

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force is one of seven Central armed forces of India. It was established to ensure the security of Indian borders and other matters regarding them. The functions of ITBP include guarding the borders, maintaining the peace, and preventing smuggling and other illegal activities across the border. ITBP’s first women officers were recruited in August 2021 through the 2016 UPSC examinations. The names of these officers are Prakriti, an engineer, and Diksha, the daughter of a serving inspector of ITBP. They both trained at the ITBP training academy in Mussoorie.