Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh formally flagged off mountaineering expeditions to Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro at an event organised in South Block, New Delhi yesterday. The expedition to Mount Everest was conducted to commemorate sixty glorious years of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. It was organised in collaboration with the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling in West Bengal and Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the occasion, the Defence Secretary lauded the indomitable spirit, determination and courage of both the
teams. He emphasised that these missions were not just about scaling the peaks, but also about showcasing India’s mountaineering excellence and leadership in adventure sports activities. He said, by successfully summiting Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro, teams have set new benchmarks to inspire young mountaineers across the country and the world at large. The team climbed through the Khumbu Valley and summited Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, on 23rd May this year. This expedition was aimed at providing first-hand Everest experience to instructors, enabling them to inspire and train future generations of mountaineers.