Overview
- India’s Directorate General of Territorial Army has issued additional 2025–26 vacancies for Infantry TA Home & Hearth battalions that include section-level slots earmarked for women.
- Army sources say recruitment will begin in a few battalions with a section of women per unit, roughly 10 soldiers, before any wider rollout.
- Officials plan to evaluate the initial phase and then consider expanding the intake to more Home & Hearth battalions.
- The Territorial Army is described as a locally focused support force handling counter-insurgency assistance, intelligence gathering, road opening and disaster response rather than front-line battle roles.
- Policy remains unchanged on core combat arms, with women not permitted in Infantry, Armoured Corps or Mechanised Infantry and soldier entry currently limited to the Corps of Military Police.