Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Saturday, 23 May 2026 congratulated the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)'s first all-women expedition team for successfully scaling Mount Everest, singling out Anjali Devi of Sunkhal village, Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir as a local hero who played a 'historic role' in the achievement.

Context

The minister's post, shared on 23 May 2026, described the summit as 'history made at the top of the world' and extended 'heartiest congratulations' to the ITBP's all-women team. He specifically named Anjali Devi, daughter of Shri Balwant Singh and a resident of Sunkhal in Kathua, as a member of the team whose participation he called 'a moment of immense pride' for the district and for Jammu and Kashmir.

The feat marks the first time an all-women team from the ITBP — one of India's Central Armed Police Forces — has collectively summited the world's highest peak. Bachendri Pal had set an early national benchmark when she became the first Indian woman to summit Everest in 1984; the ITBP team's achievement now adds a new institutional milestone to that legacy.

Policy Backdrop

The ITBP all-women Everest expedition sits within a broader policy shift that accelerated after 2015–16, when select combat and adventure roles in Central Armed Police Forces were progressively opened to women. That policy direction has since been invoked repeatedly by the central government as evidence of expanding Nari Shakti — women's empowerment — in physically demanding national endeavours.

Dr. Jitendra Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with encouraging and promoting such participation, writing that 'India's daughters are redefining India's Nari Shakti on the global stage.' The framing connects an individual mountaineering achievement to the government's wider women-in-uniform and women-in-sports narrative.

Stakeholders and Impact

Anjali Devi's inclusion in the team is particularly significant for Kathua, a district in the Jammu division that Dr. Jitendra Singh — who represents the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency — has repeatedly spotlighted for positive local developments since the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. Her success is expected to inspire adventure-sports aspirants and young women across the Union Territory.

For the ITBP as an institution, fielding an all-women team on the world's most iconic summit reinforces the force's mountaineering credentials and signals a deepening commitment to gender inclusion at the highest operational levels. Women serving in CAPFs and families of mountaineers from smaller towns and villages across Jammu and Kashmir stand as the most immediate stakeholders.

What's Next

The achievement is likely to prompt calls for expanded state-level sports and adventure-training infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly for districts like Kathua that have produced elite mountaineers. Observers will watch for any follow-up announcements from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation or the ITBP regarding future all-women high-altitude expeditions.

More broadly, the summit adds momentum to policy conversations about formalising women's pathways into high-altitude and combat roles within India's paramilitary forces — a conversation that is increasingly tied to the government's Nari Shakti branding ahead of future electoral cycles.