New Delhi: The Central government has approved 33 per cent reservation for women in paramilitary CRPF and CISF and 15 per cent in the border guarding forces BSF, SSB and ITBP at constable-level positions.
According to the data available with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), women comprise only 2.04 per cent of the paramilitary forces. Forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles together constitute a 9.8 lakh-strong force. Of these, only 19,575 are women.
"With a view to enhance representation of women in Central Armed Police Forces, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved 33 per cent posts at constable level for being filled up by women," a Home Ministry statement said yesterday.
The 33 per cent reservation in constable level posts in CRPF and CISF and 14-15 per cent posts in border guarding forces of BSF, SSB and ITBP will start immediately. This reservation would be horizontal, it said.
The move came following the recommendation of the Committee on Empowerment of Women in its sixth report which had suggested urgent need to provide due representation to women in paramilitary forces.
The CRPF, considered to be world's largest paramilitary force mostly deployed in law and order duties and the anti-Naxal operations, has just around 6,300 women in its rank.
"However, on March 20, 2015, Government of India has approved reservation of 33 per cent for women horizontally and in each category (SC, ST, OBC and others) in direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts from constable to sub- inspector in the police forces of all Union Territories, including Delhi Police," the Committee observed.
Last year, 33% positions in the Delhi Police were reserved for women and six other Union Territories also passed this proposal.
With PTI Inputs
