This year's Republic Day parade is set to feature the participation of two exclusively female contingents from the defense forces.
The first contingent, consisting of 144 personnel, will exclusively comprise women soldiers, with 60 from the Army, and the remaining members hailing from the Air Force and Navy, including women Agniveer soldiers.
The second contingent, organized by the Directorate General of the Armed Forces Medical Services, will be composed of nurses from the military nursing services, under the leadership of female doctors.
According to defense officials, the Modi-led government has been actively focusing on promoting Nari Shakti (women empowerment) within the defense forces. They emphasized that all three forces have opened up diverse opportunities for female soldiers and officers, enabling them to serve as fighter pilots, warship commanders, and in various roles across different arms and services within the Indian Army. Additionally, officials mentioned the ongoing efforts to further integrate women into the remaining arms and branches of the defense forces.
