Women to be inducted as officers in SSB for 1st time
New Delhi: Breaking the male bastion in the five decade-old Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the government has approved recruitment of young women as ‘combat officers’ in the second largest border guarding force. The women officers, after induction, will have an opportunity to serve in far-flung border locations of the force which secures ‘open’ and important Indian frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. Young women under and up to the age of 25 years will be recruited as direct entry officers in the rank of Assistant Commandants (ACs) and according to sources in the Union Home Ministry, the force will have the trained women officers on ground by late 2015. Till now, women could only don the combat uniform in the officer cadre in three other central security forces, the Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force and the Border Security Force. However, women will still not be inducted as officers in the third border guarding force of the country — the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force — deployed along the China border. (PTI)
Congress demands Z-category security for Modi’s wife
Bhopal: Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh have demanded Z-category security for Jashodaben, the wife of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, on the ground that she could be a “soft target” for terrorists. State Congress spokespersons Abhay Dube and Ravi Saxena wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, making the demand two days ago after Modi’s disclosure about his marital status in his election affidavit. The letter said the news that Jashodaben had gone on a pilgrimage “leads to suspicion”. If Modi was on the hit list of terrorists, Jashodaben could prove to be a soft target for them, it said. (PTI)
Maneka gives back Priyanka in same coin
New Delhi: A day after Priyanka Gandhi said her estranged brother and BJP leader Varun Gandhi has strayed on the wrong path, Maneka Gandhi responded by saying the nation will give an answer as to who has strayed from the right path. Varun Gandhi came under attack by Priyanka as she addressed party workers during her visit to Sultanpur on Saturday when she accompanied Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as he filed his nomination papers from Amethi. Priyanka was accompanied by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Robert Vadra during her visit to Amethi where Rahul filed his nomination papers. (UNI)