NEW DELHI: If things go as planned, then women candidates will be able to join the National Defence Academy in 2023. The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that a notification allowing women candidates to appear for the NDA entrance exam will be out by May next year.
Clarifying the timeline, the ministry said deliberate planning and meticulous preparation is needed to ensure smooth induction and seamless training of women candidates. The NDA entrance exams are held twice a year and the government proposes to have necessary mechanism in place by May 2022, the time by which UPSC is required to publish the first notification for the exam, the affidavit filed by the defence ministry stated.
While medical standards for the male candidates exist, appropriate medical standards for women candidates are in the process of formulation. A study group has been constituted by the defence services to expeditiously formulate a comprehensive curriculum for women cadets at NDA, it said.
A Board of Officers had been convened to give a holistic and futuristic proposal for training of women cadets at NDA incorporating all relevant aspects.
However, the affidavit has not clarified how many women cadets will be trained in the first batch. It said the intake will depend on a mix of factors, including the cadre ratio and desired cadre structure, capability of a service academy to absorb the intake, and the requirement by three services.