Over 178,000 girls have applied for admission to the National Defense Academy (Khadakwasla). The entrance test will be held on 14th November 2021.This follows a recent Supreme Court judgement that lifted the decade old ban on women getting permanent commission in the armed forces, a ban that was imposed by a patriarchal mindset.
Five women officers took the matter to the Supreme Court. All of them and Advocate Pooja Dhar who led the legal team in the ten-year battle will be speaking at the webinar. The dialogue will also address the issue of the unfinished task of women’s empowerment.
In Conversation with Commander Prasanna Edayilliam, formerly Air Traffic Controller, the Indian Navy; Commander Sumita Balooni, formerly with the Indian Navy who has trained thousands of Officer Cadets in the Defence Forces and presently Neuro Leadership Coach; Dr. (Commander) Puja Chhabra Sharma, academician with over 30 years of experience including 14 years as a pioneering woman commissioned officer in the Logistics Branch of the Indian Navy; Commander Saroj Dhaka, served in the Indian Navy for 14 years and was the first woman officer to serve in the Navy Special Forces; she founded ESMC in 2010, the first Indian company to venture into maritime security; Commander R. Prasanna, joined the Indian Navy in 1992 and was serving as Commander (Logistics) when she left in 2006; Advocate Pooja Dhar
Moderators: Advocate Deepa Joseph, President, Disaster Management Collective, New Delhi; and Amb. K.P. Fabian, Distinguished Fellow, Symbiosis University
