20 NCC girl cadets complete 250-kilometer Parang-la high-altitude trek
NCC girl cadets mark the completion of the Aparajita-Parang La high-altitude expedition in Ladakh. Image courtesy: pib.gov.in.
New Delhi: Twenty National Cadet Corps (NCC) girl cadets have completed a 30-day high-altitude expedition covering about 250 kilometers from Kibber in Himachal Pradesh to Karzok in Ladakh, crossing the 5,578-metre Parang-la (Parang pass). This year’s “Aparajita – Parang La” trek took the team through glaciers, snowfields and river valleys along the high-altitude route linking the Spiti valley with Ladakh’s Changthang region.
The expedition concluded at Karzok on Wednesday after the cadets crossed Parang-la, which rises to about 18,300 feet. The Ministry of Defence said 20 cadets selected from across the country completed the trek, accompanied by officers, instructors, medical staff and support personnel.
The expedition was flagged in at Karzok by the director general National Cadet Corps, Lieutenant General Virendra Vats, and the additional secretary in the defence ministry, Dipti Mohil Chawla. Speaking at the flag-in, DG Vats, congratulated the cadets and staff on completing the expedition. He said such activities help develop leadership, self-confidence, teamwork and endurance among young people.
The route connected Kibber in the Spiti valley with Karzok in the Changthang region and required the team to operate for an extended period in difficult mountain conditions. Parang La formed the highest point of the expedition and the critical crossing between the two regions.
The trek had been flagged off from New Delhi by the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, on August 18. The defence ministry said the expedition was also intended to encourage greater participation of young women in adventure activities and promote national integration through a team drawn from different parts of the country.
The NCC has long used adventure activities as part of its training programme, combining physical endurance with leadership and team building. In this case, the month-long expedition brought cadets together across a demanding route stretching from Himachal Pradesh into Ladakh.
The flag-in at Karzok marked the successful completion of the approximately 250 kilometers trek, with the NCC placing the expedition within its wider effort to build confidence, resilience and leadership among young cadets.
