Punjab farmer’s daughter Mehakpreet Kaur tops Air Force Academy merit list

Chandigarh: Mehakpreet Kaur, daughter of a farmer in Punjab's Rupnagar, has topped the Air Force Academy merit list. She was a cadet of Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI) for girls in Mohali, which was established by the Punjab government exclusively to train young women to become commissioned officers in the Indian Armed Forces. Another cadet of the institute, Komalpreet Kaur, secured All India Rank 18 to gain entry into the prestigious National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla.

Both the cadets hail from humble backgrounds. Mehakpreet Kaur is the daughter of farmer Amarjit Singh and Rupinder Kaur, a homemaker, from Paprali village in Rupnagar, while Komalpreet Kaur is the daughter of Havildar Gurmeet Singh of the Indian Army and Baljit Kaur from Shahura village in Amritsar.

Punjab Skill Development and Training Minister Aman Arora congratulated the cadets on Tuesday and said that their success reflects the vision of a new, aspirational Punjab. "Mehakpreet and Komalpreet have not just cracked India's toughest defence exams; they have shattered glass ceilings for every daughter of Punjab from small towns and villages," Arora said.

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Responding to these very aspirations, the Punjab government took a path-breaking step in 2023 by starting an NDA Preparatory Wing for girls at Mai Bhago AFPI, he added. Expressing immense pride, Mai Bhago AFPI Director Major General Jasbir Singh Sandhu (retired) said that securing AIR-1 against the minuscule vacancies for women in defence services is extraordinary. He wished both the cadets a bright, glorious future in the service of the nation.