- On Friday, NDA held its 148th Passing Out Parade in Pune
- Women cadets graduated from the academy for the first time ever
- Together with their male counterparts, 17 female cadets marched with pride
On Friday, the National Defence Academy (NDA) celebrated a significant milestone by holding the Passing Out Parade (POP) for its 148th course in Pune, which included the graduation of female cadets for the first time ever. Together with their male counterparts, 17 female cadets marched with pride, marking a new chapter in the NDA's history of forming India's military leadership.
General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd), the former Chief of Army Staff and Governor of Mizoram, attended the ceremony. He was the Reviewing Officer and was awarded a Guard of Honour. In his speech, General Singh praised the occasion as a major step toward empowerment and inclusivity, calling the female cadets timeless representations of "Nari Shakti" and stating his hope that one of them will eventually become the highest ranking member of the military.
As evidence of the academy's dedication to changing with the times while upholding its fundamental principles, he also praised the NDA's smooth integration of female cadets, pointing out that they were indistinguishable during the parade.
During the event, General Singh unveiled a special edition of the magazine called "Breaking Barriers: Female Cadets," which chronicles the accomplishments, struggles, and journey of the first group of women to join the NDA. In his remarks to the media, Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh also emphasized the institutional adjustments made to integrate and accommodate female cadets.
He underlined that women cadets are now fully integrated into the academy's daily routine and that all facets of training and academics at the NDA have been gender-neutral and progressive. He said that the parade's consistency demonstrated the transformation's success and commended the meticulous preparation that went into the integration process. The first-ever group of female NDA graduates stood tall as symbols of a more inclusive future in national defense in a ceremonial photo taken as the event came to a close.
