Defence: NDA to accept women cadets from 2022, says Indian army chief
New Delhi: Indian Army chief General MM Naravane on Friday asked the National Defence Academy (NDA) to accept the first batch of women cadets with equal respect as they join the academy next year.
Addressing the 141st-course pass-out parade of the NDA, he said “As we open gates of the NDA for women cadets, I expect you all to welcome them with the same sense of fair play and professionalism as Indian armed forces are known for the world over.”
Explaining training, he said, “There will be no difference between training standards of male and female trainees, and we are already following the same regime at the Officers’ Training Academy in Chennai. The squads for the training are all mixed squads, and they train together.”
“I am sure that they will perform equally well as that of men cadets. It is just the first step towards gender equality and the Army has been at the forefront of such initiatives in the country. I think 40 years down the line, women could be standing where I am standing,” he added.
The Army chief’s comments came after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s October 14 speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Webinar, where he said that “Women are now being accepted for permanent commission and shall be commanding Army units and battalions in the near future. I am happy to share that women shall be able to join our premier tri-service pre-commissioning training institute, the National Defence Academy from next year.”
The Supreme Court had on August 18 women eligible to take the NDA entrance exam.
(Avya Mathur)
