Women empowerment on show at Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade on October 31

EKTA NAGAR , NARMADA: Women empowerment in police and paramilitary forces will be in the spotlight during this year's Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade here on October 31, to be presided over by PM Narendra Modi .

Sporting crisp uniforms, women officers will lead marching contingents of all the participating state police and central paramilitary forces, save NSG. And at the front of the parade will be two Gujarat-cadre women IPS officers who will give salute to the PM and guide the contingents for the event to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel 's 150th birthday anniversary.

The women officers have been lodged over the last one-and-a-half months on common premises, first in Gandhinagar and then Ekta Nagar. They have trained and practised hard for their cherished moment - an opportunity to lead the march past and give salute to the PM, who has pushed hard for raising the strength and profile of women in police forces . The two IPS officers who will lead the Ekta Diwas parade are Suman Nala (2021 batch) and Simran Bharadwaj (2022).

Speaking to TOI, Suman said the parade is even more special for her as her husband, IPS officer Om Prakash, had led the same parade in 2020, when she was still preparing for civil services exam. "On Octobe31, our daughter Pranavi, 3, will watch me lead the parade on TV from my parents' home in Rajasthan," she said.

Simran said it took her loads of practice to channel force and authority into her commands. "My throat was already sore during the full-dress rehearsal today. I hope my voice will hold till Oct 31. Rendering salute to the PM is a dream come true for me," she said.

Aparna O from Kerala Police said: "Not only does this one-of-a-kind gathering of women personnel from different states present us with a rare opportunity to make direct contact, but it also helps us share best practices."