Rutuja Varhade, a girl from Pune, has made history by becoming the top female candidate in the National Defence Academy (NDA) Exam 2024. She earned the All India Rank 1 among girls and Rank 3 overall, beating more than 1.5 lakh girls who also took the exam. This is a big step for women in India’s armed forces. Her early military fascination began with a deep interest in helicopters and fighter jets during her childhood.
The Union Public Service Commission announced the final results on April 11, 2025. They selected 792 candidates for the NDA Course and the Indian Naval Academy Course. The selection involved a written test on September 1, 2024, followed by interviews, but medical exam results weren’t included in the final scores. Pune’s education sector continues to produce exceptional candidates for military service.
Rutuja’s success is very special because she’s the first girl to achieve this top rank since the Supreme Court allowed women to take the NDA exam in 2021-22. She always wanted to join the Armed Forces, inspired by her father, who wanted to serve in the military but could not. Her mentor Tejas Patil played a crucial role in motivating her to pursue this career path.
Since August 2022, women have been allowed to join NDA, and now 126 female cadets are training there. The first group of girls will graduate in May 2025 and will go to other military academies for further training. Eight of these girls will join the Indian Army.
Maharashtra is doing well in recruiting girls for NDA, with eleven girls currently training. The Girls Services Preparatory Institute in Nashik helped two girls get selected, including Hanshika Tillu, who ranked fifth among girls.
The NDA training program is designed for both boys and girls equally, focusing on building strong military leaders. After three years, female officers will get one more year of training before they start their careers in 2026, which is a very important change for India’s military.
