New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Thursday formally flagged off mountaineering expeditions to Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro, saying these two achievements have set a new benchmark for youth in leadership in adventure sports activities.

“By successfully summiting Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro, the teams have set new benchmarks to inspire young mountaineers across the country and the world at large,” he said.

The expedition to Mount Everest was conducted to commemorate 60 years of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. It was organised in collaboration with the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling, West Bengal and Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.

The expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa’s highest peak) was organised by HMI and undertaken by a team comprising a Divyangjan member, Uday Kumar, having a 91 per cent above-knee amputation.

In his address, the Defence Secretary lauded the indomitable spirit, determination and courage of both the teams, emphasising that these missions were not just about scaling the peaks, but also about showcasing India’s mountaineering excellence and leadership in adventure sports activities.

Rajesh Kumar Singh added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always emphasised the importance of youth empowerment, self-reliance and adventure as a source of building a strong, resilient and fearless India.

He termed the four mountaineering institutes of the Ministry of Defence – HMI, NIM, JIM&WS and National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) – as shining examples of this vision.

The expedition to Mount Everest was led by Principal, NIM Col Anshuman Bhadauria. The other team members were Col Hem Chandra Singh (Deputy Leader) and instructors from the three institutes, Rakesh Singh Rana, Sub Bahadur Pahan, Hav Rajendra Mukhiya, Nk Thupstan Tsewang and Pasang Tenzing Sherpa.

The team climbed through the Khumbu Valley and summited Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, on May 23, 2025. This expedition was aimed at providing first-hand Everest experience to instructors, enabling them to inspire and train future generations of mountaineers.

The Mount Kilimanjaro expedition was led by Principal, HMI, Darjeeling Group, Capt Jai Kishan. The other team members were Captain Shruti, Sub Mahendra Kumar Yadav, Pawel Sharma and Sulaxchana Tamang.

On August 8, 2024, the expedition team set a world record by displaying the largest national flag atop Mount Kilimanjaro.

Subsequently, the team displayed the national flag underwater at a depth of 35 feet in the Indian Ocean off Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, followed by the first-ever tandem skydive by a Divyangjan team on the African continent. This expedition set milestones across all three domains, land, water and air, proving that no frontier is beyond reach.

–IANS

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