new delhi the defence ministry has informed the supreme court that a notification allowing women candidates to appear for the entrance exam to the national defence academy nda will be out by may next year keeping the timeline in mind deliberate planning and meticulous preparation is needed to ensure smooth induction and seamless training of women candidates it said the government in line with its commitment hereby place on record its clear and categorical stand that the women candidates shall be considered for entry in the three defence services in the existing streams through nda the ministry said in an affidavit filed before the top court the nda entrance exams are held twice a year and the government proposes to have necessary mechanisms in place by may 2022 the time by which upsc is required to publish the first notification next year for the exam it said a study group has been constituted by the defence services comprising of experts to expeditiously formulate the curriculum for women cadets at nda it said adding that a board of officers has been convened to give a holistic and futuristic proposal for training them in order to appear for the exam candidates are required to meet the eligibility criteria which includes physical standards like height and weight it said while medical standards for male cadets are in place they are being formulated for women it said adding that it needs to be finalised before they join the academy directorate general armed forces medical services and the body of experts will undertake that for the three defence services the ministry said various aspects like young age nature of training to be undergone by women candidates as also functional operational requirements of the army navy and air force has to be taken into account it said there being no parallel standards for the women candidates at the age of entry to nda besides imparting education training includes physical training military training games and sports and related activities to shape the officer cadets into competent officers and proficient soldiers while the education curriculum is well set all the rest of aspects of the training are required to be formulated separately for the women candidates the affidavit stated the ministry said that curriculum and parameters like outdoor training drill equitation swimming games sports need to be formulated any dilution of physical training and service subject like parameters of firing endurance training field craft and living off the land kind of aspects for the defence services women cadets officers would invariably impact the battle worthiness of the armed forces adversely that on the aspect of requirement of infrastructure it is most respectfully submitted that based on the inputs and experience at other precommissioning training academies with reference to the training of women cadets one of the key facets of accommodation of women cadets has to be a robust physical separation between the male and female residential areas it said it said it will have to be