New Delhi: Five-time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medalist M C Mary Kom could soon be donning a new role -- endorsing country's largest paramilitary force CRPF as its brand ambassador.
The force, which has the largest component of women officers and personnel amongst central and state police forces, is looking at inviting such a personality who reflects its ethos of determination, hard work and discipline while it renders a variety of internal security tasks in the country.
A woman sportspersons and achiever like Mary Kom, officials said, will not only underline the message of dedication to job but also underline the fact that women can achieve any milestone in life. Mary Kom may be announced as the Ambassador of the force or even she can tour units of the paramilitary to boost the morale and self-confidence of troopers, a senior official said.
Officials said the names of other women sportspersons like Sania Nehwal and Squash player Joshna Chinappa were also under the consideration of the force's top brass but the achievements and raw courage of Mary Kom seem to have gained more acceptance with regard to the paramilitary's charter of duties.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has close to 5,000 women donning the 'Khaki' uniform in its various ranks and this is about 3 per cent of the total force strength of three-lakh personnel. The force was the first to create a full-fledged women battalion in 1986 and at present has three such units operational, with about 1,000 personnel in each of them.
CRPF is the country's mainstay force for anti-Naxal operations and it is also deployed extensively for conducting law and order and other security related duties across various states.
Mary Kom's life and her struggles to reach the sporting pinnacle are also being brought on to the silver screen later this year with actor Priyanka Chopra playing the role of the medal winning boxer. The boxer hails from Manipur and is also a 'Khel Ratna' awardee. Another paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) had last year announced cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.
