Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday, 23 May 2026 congratulated the Indo-Tibetan Border Police's (ITBP) first-ever all-women expedition team for successfully summiting Mount Everest, calling the achievement a 'monumental triumph for India's Nari Shakti.' All 11 climbers reached the world's highest peak, marking a historic milestone for the central paramilitary force.

Context

The ITBP, a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has a long-standing mountaineering tradition rooted in its core mandate of guarding India's high-altitude frontier with China. This expedition, however, is the first time the force has fielded an exclusively women's team on Everest — a distinction that sets it apart from all previous ITBP Himalayan climbs. Sonowal described the feat as one of 'unparalleled grit, courage and indomitable spirit.'

The successful summit of all 11 members of the team amplifies the significance of the achievement. In high-altitude mountaineering, full-team summits are rare and operationally demanding, making this outcome particularly noteworthy.

Policy Backdrop

The climb sits within a broader governmental push, accelerated since the mid-2010s, to raise the authorised strength and visibility of women across all CAPFs, including the ITBP. The Ministry of Home Affairs has progressively expanded women's roles in these forces, and high-profile expeditions have served as visible markers of that policy direction.

India's history of women on Everest stretches back to 1984, when Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to reach the summit, establishing a precedent for state-supported women's mountaineering. The ITBP's all-women expedition now adds a new chapter to that legacy, this time from within the uniformed services.

Stakeholders and Impact

The achievement carries symbolic weight for women serving across India's central paramilitary forces, where female personnel have historically been concentrated in administrative and support roles rather than physically demanding field operations. A successful Everest summit by an all-women ITBP team signals expanding operational expectations and recognition for women in uniform.

The expedition also reinforces the ITBP's institutional identity as a high-altitude force. Its mountaineering record intersects directly with its border-security mandate in sectors that reach extreme elevations along the India-China frontier, lending operational credibility to such climbs beyond their symbolic value.

What's Next

The ITBP's all-women Everest summit is likely to feature in the Ministry of Home Affairs' annual reporting on CAPF gender integration and could set a benchmark for similar expeditions by other central forces. Observers will watch whether this milestone translates into structural policy moves — such as dedicated high-altitude training pipelines for women in the ITBP — or remains primarily a symbolic milestone within the government's Nari Shakti narrative.

With women's participation in India's uniformed services under sustained political and policy focus, the success of this expedition is expected to strengthen the case for expanding such opportunities across all paramilitary organisations.