Defence Minister to open Mai Bhago institute on July 25
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 8
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will inaugurate Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MBAFPI), the country's first academy to prepare girls to join the armed forces as commissioned officers, in Mohali on July 25. Parrikar informed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of his programme.
Besides the Defence Minister, the state government will also invite Marshal of the Air Force, Arjan Singh, the three service chiefs, several retired service chiefs and civilian dignitaries to the event.
Named after the famous woman warrior saint, who had fought the Mughals alongside Guru Gobind Singh in 1705, the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MBAFPI) will take in a batch of 25 selected girls from Punjab, who have passed 10+2, and groom them for three years to inculcate officer like qualities in them.
As many as 1,658 girls from Punjab had applied for the 25 seats. Six of the selected girls belong to defence families, including two daughters of officers, MGAFPI director, Major General IP Singh (Retd) said.
Their admission process to the MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh, for graduation has been completed and they are expected to begin their classes in mid-July. Fourteen girls have opted for the arts stream and the rest chose the science stream.
The institute has been set up on the likes of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, also in Mohali, that prepares boys for entry into the National Defence Academy. It has sent 51 boys to the services since 2013.
Both the institutes were set up by the state government to increase the intake of officers into the defence services from Punjab. Over the past few decades the number of youth joining the armed forces from the state had been declining. Earlier, the state contributed the maximum number of officers and other ranks to the services.
However, the trend is now reversing. Since 2011, the annual number of youngsters from Punjab selected for pre-commission training has risen from 66 to 187, with a total of 720 persons, including 90 girls, joining a service training academy.
