Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 1st January 2024, inaugurated the country’s first all-girl Sainik School at Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district and termed it as a “golden moment in the history of women empowerment” since the institution would become a beacon of light for female students who aspired to join the armed forces to serve the motherland. 

With a strength of nearly 870 students, Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School has been established under the initiative of opening 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership mode with NGOs/private/state government schools in all states/union territories, of which 42 have already come up, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Training at the CBSE-affiliated school will be given by ex-servicemen, officials said, adding that the institution will have 120 seats. 

Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister said, “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’s 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.” 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also attended the inauguration ceremony, spoke at length about the “importance of empowering women, their dignity and self-reliance. “A strong society is not possible without women’s empowerment. For this, we all will have to work together. The society will have to be brought out of its conservative mindset,” he said. 

The CM talked about his initiative to start enrolling girl students at Sainik School, Lucknow, in 2018. The Defence Minister in 2019 approved the admission of girl children to Sainik Schools from the 2021-22 academic session in a phased manner. The decision was taken following the success of the pilot project started by the Defence Ministry in Sainik School, Chhingchhip, in Mizoram. 

The objective behind setting up 100 new Sainik Schools is to provide quality education to the students in tune with the National Education Policy (NEP) and give them better career opportunities. 

Meanwhile, Rajnath highlighted what he termed as a “significant contribution” of Hindu nationalist ideologue Sadhvi Ritambhara to the Ram Temple movement. Adityanath said, “those hesitant in going to Ayodhya are now complaining about not receiving an invitation to attend the pran pratishtha (consecration ceremony) at the Ram Temple.” 

“We have always known that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple movement was going on in Ayodhya and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) provided it with the leadership under the RSS’s guidance. At that time, we all used to say that the people of India themselves would resolve the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi issue. The day every follower of Sanatan Dharma will shout Jai Shri Ram in unison, the path to Shri Ram’s birthplace will automatically be paved,” he said. 

Citing the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ayodhya, the CM said, “Earlier, the roads were in a poor condition and there was a single rail line. Today, we have provided four-lane connectivity from all sides. Four-lane and six-lane roads will be available not only outside Ayodhya but also in the city city.” 

A visit to Ayodhya after January 22 will remind one of the Treta Yug, he claimed. The government, he added, has initiated efforts to connect Ayodhya through waterways after having connected it through road, rail and air. 

Image Source: ToI