General Madhuri Kanitkar has become the third woman army officer to get the Lieutenant-General badge in the Indian Amy. She was elevated to the rank and is in charge of Deputy Chief, Integrated Defence Staff (DCIDS), Medical, in New Delhi. Another distinction is that Kanitkar and her husband Rajiv, also a lieutenant general, are the first couple to reach this rank in the Armed Forces.
Lt Gen Punita Arora was the first woman to get the Lieutenant General rank in the Armed Forces. Padmavathy Bandopadhyay is the second woman to get the three star rank. She is also the first Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force
Madhuri Kanitkar got her medical degree from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. She was the topper in the college and winner of presidential gold medal for the best outgoing student. The Army officer completed her post-graduation in paediatrics and underwent paediatric nephrology training at AIIMS. She is also a member of the Prime Minister’s scientific and technical advisory board.
She is the first trained paediatric nephrologist of the Armed Forces. Kanitkar is also credited with setting up units to monitor kidney ailments in Pune and Delhi. She also became the first woman dean at the AFMC in 2017. Before her post at New Delhi as Lt. General Kanitkar was Major General Medical, Udhampur under Northern Command.
