Pune: After Supreme Court Order On Girls Entry To NDA; Army, Navy And Air Force Chiefs Visit Academy
Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 20th August 2021: Days after the Supreme Court passed interim order allowing girls admission to the boys only National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Force RKS Bhadauria arrived at the tri-services academy today.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Pune for a one-day visit on August 23. His publicly announced schedule does not include a visit to NDA, Khadakwasla. He is scheduled to preside over programs at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), located on the other bank of Khadakwasla lake, and later at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) near Koregaon Park.
The Supreme Court on August 18 allowed girls to appear in the National Defence Academy (NDA) examination as well. This order will come into effect from the NDA exam to be held on September 5 this year. However, admission to the academy will be subject to the final decision of the Supreme Court.
During the hearing of the case, the army said that it is a policy decision not to include girls in the NDA exam. On this, the top court reprimanded and said that if this policy is a decision, then it is full of discrimination.
The three services chiefs, who coursemates from 56th course of NDA, are on a two-day visit to the NDA where they have several engagements. They will leave for New Delhi on Saturday evening.
Officials have already said that necessary infrastructure changes have to be made at the academy and training modules revised before girls can be given admission.
The National Defence Academy is a unique and premier tri-services military training institution in the world. It attracts the best talent amongst the youth of our nation and from friendly foreign countries and imparts military and academic education to the cadets to acquire physical, intellectual, mental and moral qualities for a meaningful career in the defence services as permanent commissioned officers. Boys join the academy after the 10+2 exam and get three years in academic and military training and go to their respective services academy for one-year training before being commissioned into the armed forces.
NDA is the world’s first tri-services academy unique in its design and concept. It has acquired an iconic status and has encouraged many other countries to emulate this core concept of enforcing synergy at the entry level itself.
On 6th October 1949, Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone for the construction of a grand and imposing academy complex on the bank of Khadakwasla lake, about 17 km from Pune. The Academy started functioning on 16 January 1955.
As the Cradle of Military leadership, NDA trains pre-commissioned officers for the Indian Armed Forces. Nearly 38,000 cadets have passed out of its portals since its inception in 1949. These include about 1200 international cadets from friendly countries. NDA alumni have provided leadership across the entire spectrum of conflict – from the cutting edge of the tactical level to the level of operational art and the domain of strategic guidance and direction of campaigns. Many of them have become the Chiefs of the three Services.
