India, July 1 -- Four of the eight inspector generals (IG)-rank cadre officers in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are now women, a development the force hailed as a historical milestone in a statement issued on Monday.

Of the 16 IG rank posts in the CISF -- eight allotted to IPS officers and the other to CISF cadre officers, the force said that 50% of the CISF cadres in these posts are women. The women officers holding IG-level posts are Shanti Jaidev [eastern sector], Jyoti Sinha [department of atomic energy (DAE) and department of space (DOS)], Pratibha Aggarwal [tech and provisioning (headquarters)] and Neelima Rani [central sector].

"This is the highest proportion among all armed forces of the union. These officers now ...