Meet the third woman officer to hold the lieutenant General Rank In Indian Armed Forces

This year, a pediatrician has performed one of the rarest feats in the armed forces. Major General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, former Dean of the Armed Forces Medical College of Pune, was promoted to the second-highest rank of Lt. General of the Indian Army.

This historic promotion has made her the third female officer and the first pediatrician to rise to the second-highest rank in the Indian Armed Forces, as announced.

Vice Admiral Dr. Punita Arora was the first woman in the Indian Navy to be ranked second in the Armed Forces, and Padmavathy Bandopadhyay, the first IAF Air Marshal, was the second woman in the Armed Forces to be ranked three-star after Arora.

“This organisation is fair, transparent, respected and safe for a woman where she is given opportunities to grow. If there is one message I would like to share, it is to enjoy every day in uniform with childlike enthusiasm and challenge yourself to achieve the impossible. Never give up, just give back! To every woman in uniform, I can say ‘half the world is yours to take, but the full is yours to give’. So, always give your best,” said Lt Gen Kanitkar (source: The Indian Express).

Interestingly, this is the first time in the history of the Indian Armed Forces that a couple will hold the 3-star rank of Lieutenant General. Kanitkar and her husband Rajiv, also Lieutenant General, will be the first couple in the armed forces to pick up this rank.