On Tuesday, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar announced that a proposal has been made to the Indian Ministry of Defence, to change the nomenclature to make it more gender-neutral and inclusive. He talked about the contributions of women in the Indian Navy and how changing the titles to more gender-neutral terms will reflect the inclusivity of the Navy. 

During the inauguration of the new Administrative building of Naval War College, Goa, the Navy Chief said,  "Women cannot be sea-men," proposing designations such as 'nausainik class I' or 'nausainik class II' to ensure gender neutrality in rank titles". He emphasised how the Navy aims to shed all colonial practices and support the 'Nari Shakti' movement by the Indian government. 

This is a great initiative by the Indian Navy which hopefully will inspire more institutes in our country to be more gender-neutral and inclusive of people from all genders and backgrounds. Let's take a look at some examples of Indian institutes adopting gender-neutral policies and embarking on the journey of inclusivity. 

1. Institute of Technology, Delhi

Last year in January, IIT Delhi took its first step towards inclusivity by constructing 14 gender-neutral washrooms on the campus. An LGBTQ+ organisation named Indradhanu in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion made this happen. Vaivab Das, a member of Indradhanu and IIT Delhi scholar told his struggles to find a washroom on the campus.

2. Tezpur University, Assam 

In June 2022, Tezpur University of Assam inaugurated three gender-neutral washrooms and Housing spaces for transgender students. The Humanities and Social Work Department of the University took the initiative after a transgender woman was placed in the boy's hostel. Things also changed when queer rights activist, Rituparna Neog visited the university and had to use to men's washroom due to lack of non-binary washrooms.  

3. The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad

NALSAR became the first gender-neutral institute in India after introducing the policy of inclusive education for gender and sexual minorities. It has gender-neutral housing arrangements and washrooms for members of the LGBTQ+ community. NALSAR has also removed the 'Mr' and 'Ms' salutations from their certificates. 

4. Whistling Woods International, Mumbai

A private college in Mumbai has also introduced inclusive policies and inaugurated gender-neutral washrooms all over its campus. This showcases how India is ready to embrace inclusivity and destroy gender stereotypes and discrimination. 

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