PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Governor lieutenant general (retd) Gurmit Singh flagged off the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) all women Mount Shrikanth Expedition-2026 from Lok Bhawan on Thursday.
The expedition includes seven women mountaineers certified from Basic and Advanced Mountaineering Course and three experienced support mountaineers from the SSB’s Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CI & JW), Gwaldam. The expedition will commence on September 17 and will summit from October 3 to 6, 2026.
Expressing his best wishes, the governor said that 6,133 metre high Mount Shrikanth is a very challenging mountain and the selection of a team of all women mountaineers for this challenging expedition is an inspiring message of women power and women empowerment of the country. He said that he is proud to meet the women mountaineers of the expedition team. He emphasized that Indian women are capable of meeting any challenge.
The governor stated that climbing Mount Shrikanth is challenging due to its high altitude, changing weather and difficult conditions. Training, discipline, teamwork, and the ability to make informed decisions will play a crucial role in the expedition’s success. He said that reaching the summit is an achievement in mountaineering but returning safely with the entire team is an even greater success. He advised the expedition team to respect the mountain and the conditions, while prioritizing safety as a priority. He congratulated the director general of the SSB, the officers, instructors and the entire team for this innovative initiative.
DG SSB Sanjay Singhal, director general of police Deepam Seth, Garhwal commissioner Anand Swarup, inspector general (Training) Sanjeev Sharma along with senior officers, trainers and members of the expedition team of SSB were present on the occasion.
