Friday 15 / August / 2025
Muscat: An Indian woman who has trained more than 15,000 elite-level military commandoes for free has been conferred the country’s highest civilian honour for women.
Dr Seema Rao was among those conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar (Women Power Award) by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
“On International Women’s Day, we salute our indomitable Nari Shakti,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We are proud to have taken numerous decisions that have furthered women empowerment. Every Indian is proud of the stupendous accomplishments of women in various spheres.”
A statement from the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development read, “Dr Seema Rao, an expert on close-quarter combat, is the only woman commando trainer in India. She has broken several past boundaries and stereotypes and has emerged as a true inspiration to women across all spectrums. Rao has been giving commando training to about 15,000 soldiers of the various armed forces in India now, without taking any monetary compensation in return.”
Rao is also a combat shooting instructor, firefighter and a medallist in rock climbing. Having spent her youth with soldiers across high altitudes, scorching desert jungles, freezing snow, the Line of Control and the Kashmir Valley, Rao and her husband invented an ingenious method of reflex shooting, known as the Rao System of Reflex Fire, and has greatly benefited the Indian Army.
“She has also designed a programme specially tailored for women to help them deal with harassment, molestation, sexual assault and rape called DARE (Defence Against Rape and Eve teasing). The programme equips women, both mentally and physically, to face adverse situations.”
Dr Rao has been bestowed with several national and international awards.
