Ranchi, Feb. 6: Students of Ranchi Women’s College today got a rare opportunity to interact with one of the best woman mountaineers of the country.

Lieutenant Santosh Khatri, a three-wing battalion officer of the prestigious National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the first lady paratrooper of India, today addressed the students at the seminar hall of the science block of the college. Lieutenant Khatri asked the young girls to join the NCC.

“NCC is a voluntary organisation funded by the ministry of defence, government of India. It was formed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948 with an objective to groom the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic citizens. As college students, you must join the NCC. It not only serves as a platform to instil discipline, but also provides several professional and educational opportunities. Today, NCC cadets are exempted from written rounds of various state and national-level competitive exams and are given first preference in jobs in the corporate and hospitality sectors. They are given preferential treatment because of their disciplined nature,” said Khatri.

Khatri, who was also involved in the joint AIDS awareness programme of the Unicef exhorted the girls by saying, “Nothing is impossible in this world. You can do it. One must never feel that being a girl is a hindrance. Women can do all activities that are considered male domain.”