New Delhi, Aug 18 (NVI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday flagged off the NCC’s all-India girls’ high-altitude long trek ‘Aparajita–Parang La 2026’, with 28 girl cadets set to undertake a 250-km expedition through one of the most challenging routes in the Himalayas.
The 30-day expedition will traverse the 5,578-metre (18,300 feet) Parang La Pass, connecting Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley with the Changthang region of Ladakh.
The team will be led by three women officers representing the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The participating cadets, drawn from NCC directorates across the country, have an average age of 19 years, with the youngest being 16-and-a-half.
Addressing the cadets at the flag-off ceremony here, Singh described their participation in the challenging expedition as a testament to the courage, determination and growing capabilities of the country’s women.
The expedition will pass through Kibber, Dumla, Thaltak, Bongrojen, Parang La, Dak Karzong, Norbu Sumdo, Kiangdom and Korzok, covering high-altitude deserts, glaciers, snowfields and river valleys.
Singh said such expeditions help inculcate leadership qualities, mental resilience, discipline and self-confidence among young people.
He told the cadets that the trek would provide them with lessons in resilience, confidence and self-discovery, and hoped they would return with a deeper understanding of their inner strength.
The Defence Minister asked the team to prioritise safety, environmental protection and respectful interaction with local communities during the expedition.
He urged the cadets to strictly follow instructors’ guidance, avoid unnecessary risks and adopt a zero-waste approach to protect the fragile Himalayan ecology.
Singh also highlighted the achievements of NCC cadets in adventure activities across land, water and air, and lauded the girl cadets for demonstrating the spirit of ‘Nari Shakti’ by leading from the front.
The participation of cadets from different NCC directorates, representing diverse languages, cultures and backgrounds, reflected the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, he said.
The expedition is being conducted in two phases. A preparatory and acclimatisation trek was held in the Bhaba-Pin Valley sector, following which the final team was selected on merit.
The expedition has been conceptualised to promote women’s empowerment, leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, endurance and national integration among NCC girl cadets.
NCC Director General Lt Gen Virendra Vats and senior officials of the NCC and Defence Ministry were present at the flag-off ceremony.(NVI)
