20 NCC Girl Cadets Complete 250-Km High-Altitude Himalayan Trek

Twenty girl cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) have successfully completed a nearly 250-km high-altitude trek through some of the most challenging terrain in the Himalayas, officials said on Wednesday.

The cadets completed the 30-day ‘Aparajita – Parang La 2026’ expedition, traversing glaciers, snowfields and river valleys while travelling from Kibber in Himachal Pradesh to Karzok in Ladakh.

The expedition was flagged in at Karzok by NCC Director General Lt Gen Virendra Vats and Defence Ministry Additional Secretary Dipti Mohil Chawla. The team comprised 20 girl cadets selected from different parts of the country and was accompanied by officers, instructors, medical personnel and support staff.

A major highlight of the expedition was crossing the 5,578-metre-high Parang La Pass, which connects Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh with the Changthang region of Ladakh.

The expedition was flagged off from New Delhi by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 18.Congratulating the cadets and staff, Lt Gen Vats said such adventure activities help develop leadership, self-confidence, teamwork and endurance among young people.

The expedition was organised as part of the NCC's efforts to encourage greater participation of young women in adventure activities and expose them to demanding high-altitude conditions.

The challenging trek also sought to promote national integration by bringing together cadets from different regions of the country and providing them with an opportunity to work collectively in difficult terrain.

The successful completion of the expedition highlights the NCC's emphasis on adventure training and experiential learning as tools for building confidence, resilience and leadership among youth.

The cadets' journey through remote Himalayan terrain involved prolonged exposure to harsh conditions, requiring careful coordination between the participants, supervising personnel and medical and logistical teams.