DEHRADUN: A historic chapter was added to the rich legacy of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) as the 93-year-old military institute witnessed the first batch of nine women officer cadets (OC) getting commissioned as Army officers at the Passing out Parade (POP) of the 158th regular course and the 141st technical graduate course in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday.The first batch had joined the academy after completing NDA training -- a first in IMA’s history. They were among the 515 OCs including 34 foreign OCs from 16 countries, who graduated from the academy to join their respective armies.Terming it a “major milestone”, President Murmu, who presided over the ceremony as the POP’s reviewing officer, addressed the IMA gathering: “The passing out of the first female cadets from the academy is a significant step towards women empowerment...

I hope this will inspire many more young women to join the Army in the years ahead.”Murmu also congratulated the OCs for completing their training with a special mention for the foreign OCs. “The training of foreign OCs at the IMA helps forging friendly ties with foreign countries. I’m confident that the training at the academy and the qualities imbibed by them here will help them bring laurels for their countries while serving them in the uniform.”

She also underlined the newly-inducted officers’ responsibilities towards their troops — to lead by example, inspire confidence, and foster teamwork.

Balancing operational effectiveness with the welfare of soldiers, she said, would build trust and enhance the combat capability of their units.The President earlier conferred the awards to their respective winners.The Sword of Honour for ‘Best Overall Cadet’ was awarded to Vishal Kumar. He also received the gold medal for standing first in the regular course.

The silver medal in the regular course was awarded to Prince Raj while the bronze was conferred upon Tejas Bhatt. Hrishabh Mishra received silver medal for standing first in the technical graduate course while Karan Pandey was awarded the silver medal for standing first in the technical entry scheme.Among the foreign OCs, Zaif Hadid Alvy from Bangladesh was adjudged as the ‘Best Foreign OC’. Bodh Raj Thapa was given the silver medal in the special commissioner officers’ course.The ceremony was attended by Uttarakhand governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retired), chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Army Training Command GOC-in-C Lt Gen Devendra Sharma, IMA commandant Lt Gen Nagendra Singh, senior military officers and the cadets’ families.