‘Historic moment for country': Rajnath hails passing out of first batch of women cadets from NDA

Indian Express

3 days ago

DEFENCE MINISTER Rajnath Singh on Thursday hailed the passing out of the first batch of 17 women cadets from the National Defence Academy as a 'historic moment for the country.' Singh was delivering the 'Sandesh to Soldiers' aired from Akashvani on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
According to a press statement from the Ministry of Defence, Singh said in his speech that Operation Sindoor emerged as a balanced military response amid the asymmetric warfare being witnessed across the globe. 'India successfully utilised cutting-edge apparatus such as drone war, layered air defence, electronic warfare and network-centric operation, and proved that India is no longer dependent on foreign technology.' The MoD press statement quoted him as saying.
'For the first time, 17 women cadets successfully passed out from NDA, Khadakwasla. It was a historic moment for the country. Two brave women officers of the Indian Navy, Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa, made the country proud by completing a difficult sea journey of 25,600 nautical miles under Navika Sagar Parikrama-II. It was a testament to the strength of our naval forces. An all-women tri-service sailing team created history by returning home from Seychelles after completing an international sea voyage of 1,800 nautical miles. It was the first international open sea sailing voyage undertaken by the women of Indian Armed Forces. For our women, no challenge is impossible. They will always be at the forefront in protecting and honoring the country,' said Singh.
An order was passed by the Supreme Court in August 2021 while hearing a plea seeking directions to allow eligible women to sit for the NDA and Naval Academy examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The first batch of the women cadets joined the NDA in July-August 2022 as part of its 148th course. At the time of the entry of the women cadets in 2022, the NDA had said, 'With minimum changes to the existing curriculum, the training in academics, drill, outdoor training, etc. will be conducted in an absolutely gender-neutral manner.'
The NDA said a dedicated support staff has been provided for facilitating the training of women cadets. A majority of training activities are conducted jointly keeping their employability in mind, wherein the women officers are required to command the troops. Similar training methodology already exists in other Pre-Commissioning Training Academics like OTA Chennai, INA Ezhimala and AFA Hyderabad.
One of the most important milestones in the assimilation of the female cadets at the NDA came when they were moved out a separate accommodation and integrated with the existing 18 squadrons of the academy, in the sixth and final term of the first course. After this, the female cadets allotted to each of the squadrons started undertaking their full day training activities with the male cadets. While the first batch of 17 women cadets passed out of the academy in May this year as part of the 148th course, the second batch is set to pass out later this year as part of the 149th course.