Comprising nearly 22% of the total 669,000 applications received this year a total of 147,000 women have registered for the national defence academy (NDA) exam.
“The last (exam) was the first attempt, so there was a lot of excitement. However, through my conversations with women belonging to tier-2 cities and studying in class 11, I learnt that not many are aware that they can apply for the defence exam. There is also not much knowledge on how women need to go about it,” Former Army officer Captain Shalini Singh said.
The Supreme Court in August last year rejected the government’s argument that the restriction against women from training at the Pune-based NDA Breaking the glass ceiling that endured for 65 years.
Only male candidates who cleared class 12 level or its equivalent education and were in the age group of 16-and-a-half and 19 were eligible to apply under the eligibility criteria at that point of time.
Women were allowed to serve in select branches of the army, air force and navy as short-service commission (SSC) officers till the apex court’s ruling last year.
With more avenues being opened to them at a steady pace the headcount of women in the military has increased almost three-fold over the last six years.118 women were serving in the armed forces As of February 2021.
SSC women officers were entitled to permanent commission (PC) in the army and navy and that they have to be considered irrespective of their service length as ruled by the apex court in February 2020.
