India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the all-girl Sainik School in Uttar Pradesh state's Vrindavan city on Tuesday.
The minister hailed the opening of the military academy as a source of motivation for young women with ambitions to serve in the armed forces and protect the country.
The all-girls Sainik School is set to host around 870 students and is a key initiative of the larger effort to create 100 new Sainik Schools in collaboration with NGOs, private organizations, and state government schools across all states and Union territories.
The ministry has announced that these new establishments will be in addition to the 33 existing Sainik Schools, further expanding the network under the previous pattern.
During the inauguration of the Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School, Singh stressed that through the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the government has rightfully restored the place of women in the Armed Forces, which had been neglected for years.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath interacts with young girls during the inauguration of all-girls Sainik School in Vrindavan
© Photo : Twitter
In 2019, Singh approved the admission of girls to Sainik Schools in a phased manner starting from the academic session of 2021-22.
Singh emphasized that women have the same right as men to defend the nation and described the approval of girls' admission to Sainik schools as a golden moment in the history of women's empowerment.
"Today, our women are not only flying fighter jets, they are also securing the borders," Singh added.