Pune: The National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, will once again host parents of cadets who come here for attending their passing out parade (POP) which is scheduled on November 30. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat will be the Chief Guest for the POP of 135th course.
Citing security concerns and burden on infrastructure, the premier tri-services academy had discontinued the tradition of hosting parents in 2014.
After that the academy entered into an MoU with reputed hotels for providing concessional rates for parents’ stay.
A senior NDA official told Sakal Times, “This time parents will stay on the campus in barracks of the cadet.” The convocation and POP are moments of great pride for the cadets and their families.
Before 2014, the cadets were charged Rs 900 for parents’ accommodation. The parents and other close members of the family were allowed to stay at the hostel (barracks) for two days. One cadet gets two passes for parents and 1-2 special passes can be issued on request. There was disappointment among parents of the cadets after they were asked stay outside the campus.
A parent who stayed on the campus said, “This gives an opportunity to rejoice the moment and have a glimpse into the campus life of our children. The parents get VIP treatment on the campus.”
The NDA is the joint services academy of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force train together (for three years) before they go on to respective service academies for further pre-commissioning training.
Services provided to parents
