Rajnath inaugurates all-girls' Sainik School at Vrindavan

Mathura, Jan 1 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School at Vrindavan in Mathura, describing it as a beacon of light for girls who aspire to join the armed forces and serve the motherland.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present on the occasion.

The first all-girls Sainik School, with a strength of about 870 students, has been inaugurated under the initiative of establishing 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership mode with NGOs, private and state government schools across the country, of which 42 have been set up.

These are in addition to the existing 33 Sainik Schools already functioning under the erstwhile pattern.

"Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has given women their rightful place in the Armed Forces, which was neglected for years. They have the right to protect the nation just like their male counterparts. It was a golden moment in the history of women empowerment when we approved the admission of girls to Sainik Schools. Today, our women are not only flying fighter jets, they are also securing the borders," Singh said.

The Sainik School has been started in the Vatsalya Gram complex established by Sadhvi Ritambhara, a known name of the Ayodhya movement. Audio cassettes of her fiery speeches reverberated throughout the Hindi-speaking states.

The event coincided with the 60th birthday of Sadhvi Ritambhara.

Vatsalya Gram spokesperson Umashankar Rahi said that there are 120 seats in the school. National Testing Agency conducts the examination for admission.

There will be a written examination on January 21, in which there will be e-counselling of successful candidates and a merit list will be prepared. The session will start from April.

Apart from CBSE education, military education, sports and obstacle training will also be given to the daughters by ex-servicemen or NCC.

Sadhvi Ritambhara runs an ashram in Vrindavan that houses orphaned kids, widows, and the elderly. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also visited her on Sunday to wish her on her birthday. His visit underlines the importance she still has in core Sangh Parivar circles.

--IANS

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