: Notification allowing women in NDA to be released by May, Defence Ministry tells Supreme Court #IndiaNEWS #National New Delhi: The Defence Ministry has informed the Supreme Court that a notification

Notification allowing women in NDA to be released by May, Defence Ministry tells Supreme Court #IndiaNEWS #National
New Delhi: The Defence Ministry has informed the Supreme Court that a notification allowing women candidates to appear for the entrance exam to the National Defence Academy (NDA) will be out by May next year.
Keeping the timeline in mind, deliberate planning and meticulous preparation are needed to ensure smooth induction and seamless training of women candidates, it said.
The Government, in line with its commitment, hereby place on record its clear and categorical stand that the women candidates shall be considered for entry in the three defence services, in the existing streams, through NDA, the ministry said in an affidavit filed before the top court.
The NDA entrance exams are held twice a year and the government proposes to have necessary mechanisms in place by May 2022, the time by which UPSC is required to publish the first notification next year, for the exam, it said.
A Study Group has been constituted by the Defence services, comprising of experts to expeditiously formulate the curriculum for women cadets at NDA, it said, adding that a Board of Officers has been convened to give a holistic and futuristic proposal for training them.
In order to appear for the exam, candidates are required to meet the eligibility criteria which includes physical standards like height and weight, it said.
While medical standards for male cadets are in place, they are being formulated for women, it said, adding that it needs to be finalised before they join the Academy.
Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services and the body of experts will undertake that for the three Defence services, the ministry said.
Various aspects like young age, nature of training to be undergone by women candidates as also functional/ operational requirements of the Army, Navy and Air Force has to be taken into account, it said.
There being no parallel standards for the Women Candidates at the age of entry to NDA. Besides imparting education, Training includes Physical Training, Military Training, Games and Sports and related activities to shape the officer cadets into competent officers and proficient soldiers. While the education curriculum is well set, all the rest of aspects of the training are required to be formulated separately for the women candidates, the affidavit stated.
The ministry said that curriculum and parameters like outdoor training drill, equitation, swimming, games, sports need to be formulated.
Any dilution of physical training and service subject like parameters of firing, endurance training, field craft and living off the land kind of aspects, for the Defence services women cadets/ officers, would invariably impact the Battle worthiness of the Armed Forces adversely.

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