The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first paramilitary to have women combatants in its ranks, is planning to further enhance their numbers for deployments at forward posts on Nepal and Bhutan frontiers.

Officials said a comprehensive proposal is being prepared to enhance the number of women in combat roles and improve infrastructural facilities to all troops, both men and women, at the area of their responsibilities, an official said.

The proposal will seek to achieve the goals as stipulated in a recent Government directive to take up the number of the female workforce to 33 per cent of the total strength in border guarding forces—SSB, Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

The Government has already sanctioned 21 new women companies (2100 personnel). Apart from their recruitment, creation of additional infrastructure is also underway, the official said.

The women personnel in the paramilitary, mostly constables, undertake patrolling duties along the two frontiers. This besides, they are also part of the border ‘interaction teams’ where personnel trained in soft skills frisk, check documents and help people who cross over to India from the two friendly neighbouring countries.

Through specialised training in soft skills, the interaction teams also interdict people engaged in human trafficking or other trans-border crimes. The two open Indian frontiers not only witness heavy civilian movement on a day to day basis but are also notorious for instances of drug smuggling, human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

The SSB at present has about 1,000 women personnel in its combat ranks after they were first inducted into the force in 2007.

The force secures the 1,751 km-long Indo-Nepal border and the 699 km Indo-Bhutan border.