CISF Launches First All-Women Commando Unit to Strengthen Gender Parity

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has now started its first-all women commando unit in order to enhance the gender representation in force. Thirty female staff are going through an 8 week advanced training at the Regional Training Centre in Barwaha, Madhya Pradesh. Training involves physical fitness exercises, live-fire training, rappelling, survival training and weaponry. These commandos will be incorporated in Quick Reaction Teams and Special Task Forces in sensitive installations. CISF plans to bring more women on board, slowly raising their%age among ranks to 10 out of 8 currently, 2,400 recruitment is expected in the following year.

In News

• In Madhya Pradesh, a first all-women commando force of CISF was launched.

• Training is in combating, survival, and specialized weapon training.

• The proportion of women in CISF is to be increased to 10%.

Key Points

Training & Deployment

• The programme was conducted at Regional Training Centre, Barwaha, which takes around 8 weeks.

• Specialties: endurance, training with weapons, rappelling, techniques of survival.

• Deployment: Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) and Special Task Forces (STFs).

Gender Parity Objectives

• Present representation of women: 8%.

• Goal: 10% including 2,400 recruits.

• Phase one: speaker training of 100 women of Aviation Security Groups and sensitive units.

Significance of CISF All-Women Commando Unit

Gender Parity and Q Representation

• It criticizes the lack of women, or underrepresentation, in paramilitary troops.

• Supports governments vision on Nari Shakti in uniformed services.

Operational Benefits

• It brings diversity in crisis handling and especially in aviation and city security.

• The women commandos may be indispensable in instances with women civilians (airports, metro, pilgrim places).

Institutional Transformation

• Promotes gender-sensitive training practice.

• This could excite similar efforts in CRPF, BSF and ITBP.

Challenges

• The infrastructure and facilities (housing, sanitation, equipment) should be gender sensitive upgraded.

• The conflict between high-level risk areas and welfare issues when it comes to deployment

Conclusion

The induction of CISFs all women commando is a milestone in India in the quest to achieve gender parity within the security forces. It integrates empowerment and operational preparedness into high-priority installations. This initiative becomes a precedent of much closer integration of women into combat and support niches.