Now, women to man India-Pakistan border
HOSHIARPUR (Indian Punjab): With women getting ready for patrol duty, gender barriers are falling on the international border between India and Pakistan The 36-week training of the first batch of about 200 out of the 612 women recruits , all between 18 and 22 years of age, started at the Border Security Force's (BSF) training camp at Kharkan village, 15 km from here, Monday. Classes for the remaining recruits will start later. The women, 45 from West Bengal and the rest from Punjab, were gung-ho about not just the training programme but even postings in inhospitable terrain along the border where the BSF is stationed. "This is a very happy moment for me. This is an active job and will give job security to me and my family," Sandeep Ghumman, a graduate, said. "Both my parents are in the police. The job with BSF should be interesting," added another recruit, Kiranbir Kaur. Taking pride in her new uniform, recruit Jyotibala of Punjab's border district of Gur...