Women to guard LAC: ITBP to build Mahila Barracks at 32 India-China border posts

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• ITBP to build Mahila Barracks at 32 border outposts near the India-China LAC
• Women personnel to be deployed at forward locations in Ladakh, Arunachal, etc.
• Barracks to feature insulated rooms, modern facilities, and separate officer quarters.

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India’s women security personnel are set to move closer to the frontline along the India-China border, with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police planning to build special Mahila Barracks at 32 border outposts near the Line of Actual Control, reported News18.

The move will allow women personnel to be deployed at forward locations in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. The ITBP is the armed police force tasked with guarding India’s border with China.

About the Mahila Barracks

According to official documents accessed by CNN-News18, the ITBP will, for the first time, construct dedicated Mahila Barracks at 32 Border Outposts. Each barrack will include dormitories and double or triple-sharing rooms with proper insulation, and will be designed to accommodate around 30 women personnel. Separate accommodation will be provided for officers.

The facilities will also include a central dining area with a fully equipped kitchen and modern toilet facilities. The design prioritises insulation, maximum solar heat retention and protection from strong winds, keeping the extreme weather conditions along the LAC in mind.

The decision follows ITBP’s plan to establish all-women border outposts along the India-China frontier. The force currently has around 4,000 women personnel and plans to induct another 1,375 women during the current financial year.

Last month, ITBP Director General Praveen Kumar announced that 10 all-women Border Out-Posts would be set up along the LAC as part of the force’s forwardisation plan aimed at strengthening India’s border presence.

The push for greater participation of women in border guarding forces dates back to January 2016, when the central government reserved 33 per cent of constable-level posts for women in the CRPF. In border guarding forces such as the BSF, SSB and ITBP, 14 to 15 per cent of constable posts are reserved for women.

Earlier this month, the government told Parliament that steps are being taken to ensure safe working conditions for women personnel in the Central Armed Police Forces. These include separate accommodation, rest and changing rooms, toilets, creches and day care centres, along with women-specific medical support.

The government also said women's help desks, confidential complaint mechanisms, gender sensitisation workshops and flexible duty systems are being implemented. Women personnel are generally deployed in pairs or groups to ensure safety and operational effectiveness.