Rajnath flags off NCC Girls high-altitude trek Aparajita
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the All India Girls High Altitude Long Trek ‘Aparajita — Parang La 2026’, a flagship adventure activity of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), during an event in New Delhi on Tuesday. The trek will traverse the Parang La Pass (5,578 metres, 18,300 feet), connecting the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh with the Changthang region of Ladakh and is regarded as one of the country’s most challenging high-altitude trekking routes.
The team will be led by three women officers representing the three services. 28 girl cadets are participating in the expedition, with an average age of 19 years, the youngest participant being just 16 and a half years old. In his address, Raksha Mantri termed the participation of young girls in such a challenging high-altitude expedition as a powerful testament to the courage, determination and growing capabilities of the women of the country.
The expedition team, accompanied by officers, medical staff, instructors and support personnel, will undertake the approximately 250-km trek over 30 days through some of the most remote and challenging terrain in the Himalayas. The route of the expedition includes Kibber, Dumla, Thaltak, Bongrojen, Parang La Pass, Dak Karzong, Norbu Sumdo, Kiangdom and Korzok, traversing high-altitude deserts, glaciers, snowfields and river valleys.
Extending his best wishes to the team for a safe and successful trek, Rajnath Singh stated that such expeditions play an important role in developing leadership qualities, mental resilience, discipline and self-confidence among the youth. He commended the selected cadets for their physical and mental preparation, emphasising that the trek would be a life lesson for them in resilience, confidence and self-discovery.
“The cadets would return from Parang La with not only memorable experiences but also a deeper understanding of their own inner strength,” he hoped.
The defence minister exhorted the team members to keep ‘safety’, ‘environment’ and ‘interaction with local communities’ as their priorities throughout the expedition. “Strictly follow the guidance of instructors, avoid unnecessary risks, and adopt a zero-waste approach to protect the Himalayan ecology. Engage respectfully with local communities, understand their culture & traditions, and learn from their experiences. The expedition would become a defining milestone in your lives and inspire you to remain ‘Aparajita’ at every stage of life,” he told the cadets.
Highlighting the growing achievements of NCC cadets in adventure activities across land, water and air, Singh lauded the girl cadets for demonstrating the spirit of ‘Nari Shakti’ by leading from the front. On the participation of cadets from pan-India NCC Directorates, he asserted that their diverse languages, cultures and backgrounds, united by a common mission, exemplify the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
Director General, NCC Lieutenant General Virendra Vats, and other senior officials of NCC & the Ministry of Defence were present on the occasion. The expedition is being conducted in two phases. A preparatory and acclimatisation trek was undertaken in the Bhaba-Pin Valley sector, following which the final team of NCC Girl Cadets was selected on merit.
