Gen V K Singh to review historic Passing Out Parade of NDA’s 148th course

Gen Singh, an alumnus of the 36th course of the NDA, was the 26th Chief of the Army Staff. Gen Singh has served as Minister of State in key portfolios in the Union government.

As the Reviewing Officer, Gen Singh will inspect the cadets lined up for their final parade. He will address the passing-out cadets and ceremonially pin medals on those who have earned top honors. The convocation of the course will be held on May 29 and Prof Dr Poonam Tandon, Vice Chancellor, Deen Dayal Upadhyay University, Gorakhpur, will be the chief guest.

An interim order passed by the Supreme Court in August 2021 had paved the way for the admission of woman cadets into the NDA. The apex court was hearing a plea seeking directions to allow eligible women to appear for the entrance exams of the NDA and Naval Academy examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The SC had asked UPSC to issue a corrigendum in keeping with its interim direction. The Centre had subsequently formed a study group to facilitate the entry of women, and the necessary mechanism to facilitate that.

The NDA has said a dedicated support staff has been provided for facilitating the training of woman cadets. For the stay of girl cadets, initially one of the squadrons was identified and was refurbished with amenities and requirements specific for their training. For the long term, a separate squadron has been envisaged exclusively for girl cadets.