Chandigarh, November 7, 2025 – A historic step for women’s empowerment – the Punjab government has amended physical standards for Fire Brigade recruitment, paving the way for female candidates to join the state’s frontline emergency services. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the new rules reduce the weight-lifting requirement for women from 60 kilograms to 40 kilograms and offer height relaxations, making Punjab the first state in India to implement such a reform.
Earlier, stringent physical tests meant none of the roughly 1,400 women who applied for firefighter positions in 2022 could qualify. The standards, originally designed for men, blocked even top-performing candidates in written exams. Simaranjit Kaur from Amritsar recounted, “I failed twice, both times because of the weight. Now, for the first time, I have a chance.”
A senior Punjab official noted, “The government understood that real capability is measured not by kilos, but by character.” The new rules emphasize agility, skill, and courage rather than just brute strength, giving women a fair opportunity to serve on the frontline.
Dozens of female candidates have already cleared the revised physical tests. The Punjab Fire and Emergency Services Bill, 2024, under which the amendments were made, reflects a shift from symbolic inclusion to merit-based equality. For the first time, women will now don uniforms, fight fires, and demonstrate that gender does not define capability.
The Mann government’s move is being praised by advocacy groups and candidates alike, as it replaces decades-old thinking that limited firefighting to men with a system that measures true ability and courage.
