The Union home ministry wants an additional 25,000 women to be recruited.

The Union home ministry wants an additional 25,000 women to be recruited. The Union home ministry wants an additional 25,000 women to be recruited.

The Narendra Modi government has planned a major push for increasing women's representation in the paramilitary forces, aiming to double their numbers over the next one year.

The move is intended to ensure that women are given more significant roles, including in the anti-Maoist operations, law and order duties and patrolling duties. With the number of women Maoists on the rise, the need for more women in the security forces has been felt. There is an urgent need for women in the paramilitary forces for operations, besides interrogation of the arrested or surrendered women Maoists.

Currently, there are only 19,000 women out of the total around 89 lakh sanctioned strength of all the paramilitary forces put together, which is a mere 2.15 per cent.

The Union home ministry wants an additional 25,000 women to be recruited by these forces at the earliest to push the women's representation to at least five per cent.

Sources said doubling of women's representation will not be easy to achieve.

"It will take time. We are trying to put in place various measures that encourage women to join the forces," a home ministry official said.

Among all the paramilitary forces, it's only the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which has reached a satisfactory figure of 4.89 per cent.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) comes second with 2.13 per cent of women personnel.

Border Security Force (BSF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles have less than two per cent women personnel working for them.

Some of the steps taken to enhance the strength of women in these forces include two 'all-women' battalions in CRPF and 14 per cent vacancies at the constable-level for general duties in paramilitary forces.

This includes nearly 9,000 recruits for the 62,000 vacancies that have to be filled in at the constable level.

The government has also approved 21 companies, comprising 2,772 women personnel, for SSB.

As part of the measures to encourage women, all the female candidates have been exempted from payment of application fee.

The Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for all female candidates have been relaxed.

Separate accommodation for women personnel with basic amenities, including separate toilets, has been provided.

Crches and 'day care' centres have been provided by the forces to women employees. Committees have been constituted at all levels to check any complaint of sexual harassment.

The Centre is also hoping to increase women's representation in the police forces in Delhi and other Union Territories.

In March, the Union Cabinet gave the much-awaited nod for 33 per cent reservation for women in the police forces of the Union Territories, including Delhi, covering the ranks from constable to subinspectors.

The need for increased number of women police personnel has been felt recently, particularly keeping in mind the rising number of crimes against women.