Overview
- The four-member BSF women’s team reached Everest’s summit at about 8:00 a.m. IST on Thursday and performed the national song while Director-General Praveen Kumar congratulated them via radio link.
- The climbers are Constables Kouser Fatima, Munmun Ghosh, Rabeka Singh and Tsering Chorol, who trained at ABVIMAS in Manali and were flagged off from New Delhi on April 6.
- Following the summit, the BSF announced a “Clean Himalaya – Clean Glaciers” plan to collect 500 kg of waste from higher Everest camps and move it down to Namche Bazaar for proper disposal.
- The force said an all-men BSF team will attempt Mount Lhotse in the next 2–3 days, and reporting notes the ITBP is running a separate first-ever all-women Everest expedition during May–June.
- Branded Mission Vande Mataram, the climb was timed for the BSF’s diamond jubilee and the 150th anniversary of the national song and is presented as a capability-building moment for women in high-altitude roles.