Hyderabad, 14 June (H.S.): Five women cadets from the first batch of women admitted to the National Defence Academy (NDA) have been commissioned as officers of the Indian Air Force after completing branch-specific training at the Air Force Academy (AFA), Dundigal.

The officers were among 17 women cadets who graduated from the NDA and subsequently underwent training at the Air Force Academy. They were commissioned during the Combined Graduation Parade held at AFA on Saturday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the parade and said the commissioning of the first batch of women NDA cadets into the Indian Air Force marked an important milestone in the armed forces.

According to officials, a total of 231 flight cadets, including 37 women, graduated during the ceremony.

Flying Officer Divyanshi Singh received the President's Plaque for standing first in the overall order of merit in the Ground Duty branches. Flying Officer Ashish Kumar Yadav was awarded the President's Plaque and the Sword of Honour for standing first in the overall order of merit in the pilot course, while Flying Officer Ekta Gupta received the President's Plaque in the Navigation stream.

The commissioning of women NDA cadets follows the opening of NDA entry to women candidates, enabling them to undergo the same pre-commission training as their male counterparts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar