President : Happy to see more women in forces

BENGALURU: President Ram Nath Kovind said the rising number of women in the armed forces, including in combat roles, is a good development. The President, who is on a two-day official visit to Karnataka, inaugurated the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Rashtriya Military School here on Monday. Lauding girls for reaching new heights and setting new records in various fields, he said, “As the supreme commander, I am happy to see the rising number of women in the armed forces, including in combat roles. I am happy to note that, recently, Captain Abhilasha Barak became the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as a combat aviator.”

Noting that the Rashtriya Military Schools were conceived with the aim of providing quality education to the wards of Army personnel but later the schools were opened to civilians, Kovind said that he was happy to know that girl cadets are going to get admission into these schools across the country from this academic year. “As you all know, starting this year, the gates of the National Defence Academy have also been opened for girls. I am confident that the girl cadets, joining this prestigious school, will contribute in defending the nation and play their role in nation-building,” he said.

Further, the President said Karnataka has emerged as a leading centre of modern education and technology and noted that the state got the top rank among all the states in the latest ‘India Innovation Index’. “Bengaluru has emerged as a globally comparable centre of learning, technology, and enterprise,” he added.