Congratulating the cadets, Punjab minister Aman Arora said their success will undoubtedly inspire other girls from the state.

Cadet Charanpreet Kaur, who hails from Kurali in SAS Nagar, is the daughter of Harminder Singh Banwait who works as a driver in a private company. Cadet Mahak, also a resident of SAS Nagar, is the daughter of Anil Kumar Dahiya who is a teacher in the government service. (Express Photos)

Two cadets from the state government-run Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI) for Girls in Mohali have been selected for pre-commission training at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal in Telangana from January 2025.

Cadet Charanpreet Kaur, who hails from Kurali in SAS Nagar, is the daughter of Harminder Singh Banwait who works as a driver in a private company. Cadet Mahak, also a resident of SAS Nagar, is the daughter of Anil Kumar Dahiya who is a teacher in the government service.

Among the 192 women on the merit list, Kaur achieved an All India Rank (AIR) of 4, while Mahak secured an AIR of 23.

Congratulating the two for their feat, Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Aman Arora expressed that their success will undoubtedly inspire other girls from the state to pursue opportunities in serving the nation as commissioned officers in the defence services.

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Arora said Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had approved the path-breaking initiative to start an NDA Preparatory Wing for Girls at Mai Bhago AFPI last year. Four cadets from the Institute have already cleared the NDA entrance exam and are now preparing for their Services Selection Board (SSB) screening.

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Expressing his happiness over the selection of the cadets for the Air Force Academy, Mai Bhago AFPI Director Major General Jasbir Singh Sandhu (Retd) said this achievement will further boost their efforts to send more girls from the state to various armed forces pre-commission training academies. He also extended his best wishes to the two cadets for a bright future in the Indian Air Force.