New Delhi, Mar 10 (IANS): Col Geeta Rana has become the first woman army officer to be given the charge of an independent field workshop in the Eastern Ladakh sector close to the India-China border.

"Colonel Geeta Rana of Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers scripted history by becoming the first woman officer to take over command of an Independent Field Workshop in a forward and remote location in #EasternLadakh," Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army tweeted on Wednesday.

The Indian Army has recently cleared 108 vacancies for women officers to take command of independent units in the Corps of Engineers, Ordinance, EME and other branches following which Col Geeta Rana took charge of the EME unit.

Women officers will now be able to command many different units of the army.

Recently, in a key decision taken by the Indian Air Force, Group Captain Shaliza Dhami was handed the command of a Frontline Combat Unit in the Western Sector.

The India-Pakistan border area is located in this area of the Western Sector.

This is also the first time a woman officer in the Indian Air Force took charge of a combat unit.