The Punjab Government on Friday honoured two girl cadets of the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, Mohali, for their remarkable achievements in the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) and National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance examinations.Mehakpreet Kaur secured the first position in the all-India merit list for AFCAT, while Komalpreet Kaur bagged the 18th all-India rank for entry into the NDA. They were felicitated by Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister, Aman Arora, along with Additional Chief Secretary, Vikas Pratap.Mehakpreet is the daughter of Amarjit Singh, a farmer from Paprali village in Rupnagar and Rupinder Kaur, a homemaker.Komalpreet Kaur is the daughter of Havildar Gurmeet Singh of the Indian Army and Baljit Kaur from Shahura village in Amritsar.“To be ranked first in AFCAT and 18th NDA exams among lakhs of aspirants, takes fire in the belly. Our daughters have that fire,” Arora remarked at the felicitation ceremony, while hailing their indomitable spirit and relentless hard work.He said that the success story doesn’t end here.Since 2022, 377 cadets from Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for boys and Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI) for girls have been commissioned as officers in the Indian Armed Forces.He added that Punjab is the only state in the country where the government runs a dedicated defence preparatory institute for girls.The Mai Bhago AFPI was started to prepare girls for entry into the Armed Forces after graduation. With the central government opening the doors of NDA to women after 10+2, an NDA Preparatory Wing for girls was started at the institute in 2023.“Punjabis have always led from the front, first to win freedom, then to protect its sovereignty. The Punjab government-run Mai Bhago AFPI is taking that spirit to new heights. Our daughters have once again brought glory to Punjab. I congratulate both cadets, their families and every daughter of Punjab,” Arora said.The Minister further said the third such institute, Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Armed Forces Preparatory Institute at Bajwara near Hoshiarpur, will be inaugurated soon to prepare youth for commission as officers in the Armed Forces.The foundation stone for the Sant Baba Attar Singh Ji Armed Forces Preparatory Institute at Cheema Mandi near Sangrur, will be laid soon and the institute is expected to be completed in 18 months.Mai Bhago AFPI Director, Maj Gen Jasbir Singh Sandhu (Retd) said that securing the top position in AFCAT against the limited number of vacancies for women in the Armed Services is extraordinary.“Mehakpreet and Komalpreet have given a massive boost to the state government’s mission of sending more daughters of Punjab into uniform,” he said.