Haryana girls break glass ceiling, line up for Army rally

Nitish Sharma

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Ambala, November 8

Girls from Haryana’s hinterland, hitherto confined to household chores, have broken the glass ceiling to follow their passion to serve the country. These young enthusiastic girls are participating in a recruitment rally under the Agnipath scheme being held in Ambala Cantonment.

Despite a dearth of sports infrastructure in their respective villages, the self-motivated candidates have trained on roads and in fields. They are required to meet the physical standards in different events like long jump, high jump and a 1,600-metre run.

Most of the 750 girls who participated in a rally at Kharga Stadium in Ambala Cantonment on Monday and Tuesday were from Haryana. Some others were from Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh.

Shiksha, a candidate from Jind, said, “I am impressed with the Army’s discipline. Even after a short service, disciplined soldiers will go back to society and make a lot of difference. There is neither a track nor stadium in our village. We prepared for the physical test by running on roads. My father, who is a cop, motivated me.”

Priyanka of Fatehabad said, “My father is a farmer, but I want to join the Army. I am pursuing MSc in chemistry.

Four girls from our village had applied, but only I managed to clear the physical test.” Jyoti, another candidate, said, “I will try my best to get selected. I can’t wait to wear the Army uniform. It will be a proud moment for me and my family.”

Anuja of Jhajjar said, “Both my father and brother wanted to join the armed forces, but couldn’t. I want to fulfil their dream by getting selected.” Major General Ranjan Mahajan said, “We have received a good response. The candidates have shown good all-round performance. Our aim is to pick the best through a transparent process.”

Though the intake of women officers into the armed forces started in 1992, their recruitment as Agniveers is a recent development. The first batch of women soldiers was inducted into the Corps of Military Police in May 2021, after a 61-week intensive training.

The Army plans to induct about 1,700 women soldiers over the next few years. The Air Force and the Navy too are in the process of inducting women soldiers. All such intake would be under the recently introduced Agnipath scheme.