Major General Madhuri Kanitkar was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General on Saturday | Photo from ANI

Major General Madhuri Kanitkar on Saturday was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general -- becoming the third woman officer in the Indian Army and first woman paediatrician to achieve the second-highest post in the force.

Reportedly, Madhuri Kanitkar has served in the Indian military for 37 years.

Major General Madhuri Kanitkar, the former dean of Armed Forces Medical College Pune, has been posted to Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

Major General Madhuri Kanitkar and her husband Rajiv, who is also a lieutenant general, will be the first couple in the armed forces to achieve the rank.

Major General Madhuri Kanitkar is the third woman officer in the Indian armed forces to have become lieutenant general | Photo from ANI

Punita Arora, who was a surgeon vice-admiral and a former 3-star flag officer of the Indian Navy and the Indian Army, was the first woman to hold the post of lieutenant general.

The other major mandate of the CDS is to facilitate indigenisation of weapons and equipment to the maximum extent possible while formulating the overall defence acquisition plan for the three services.

Later, Padmavathy Bandopadhyay was first from the Indian Air Force (IAF) to become the second woman to don the second-highest title in the India Army.

Major General Madhuri Kanitkar has been posted under the Chief of Defence Staff which has a key role in ensuring optimum utilisation of allocated budget, ushering in more synergy in procurement, training and operations of the services through joint planning and integration.