In a historic milestone, the first batch of 17 women cadets on Friday graduated from the Pune-based National Defence Academy (NDA), alongside over 300 male counterparts, marking the passing out of its first co-ed batch.
The cadets went past the ‘Antim Pag' at the Khetrpal Parade Ground of the tri-service training academy in Khadakwasla, widely known as the “cradle of leadership”.
The first batch of women cadets joined the NDA's 148th course in 2022 after the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) allowed women to apply to the defence academy following a Supreme Court direction in 2021.
Academy cadet captain, Udayveer Negi, commanded the parade of the 148th course.
Former Army Chief Present At Ceremony
General V K Singh, former Army Chief and current governor of Mizoram, was the reviewing officer of the Passing Out Parade.
“Today is also a uniquely significant day in the history of the academy as the first batch of female cadets pass out from the NDA. This marks a historic milestone in our collective journey towards greater inclusivity and empowerment,” Gen Singh said on the occasion.
These young women are the inevitable symbol of “Naari Shakti”, embodying not just women's development but women-led development, he said.
"This is just the beginning of a transformation that aligns with the times we are heading into. I am more than certain that the NDA will ensure this transformation—physically tough and mentally agile—will continue," he said.
Special Magazine Launched
To mark the occassion, a special magazine edition titled "Breaking Barriers: Female Cadets" was also launched. Vice Admiral Gurucharan Singh said that the journal was an additional effort to capture the transformation of creating space for women cadets. This is the foundation—and the stronger the foundation, the better the structure that stands upon it. What happens beyond this will now be service-specific."Everything has been done very meticulously—and it shows. The fact that you couldn't spot the difference during the parade says it all," he said.
With text inputs from PTI.
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