MoS Home G Kishan Reddy felicitates CISF's 'Mt Satopanth' conquerors

Union minister G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday felicitated a 16-member mountaineering expedition team of the CISF which recently climbed the 7,075 metre Mount Satopanth in Uttarakhand.

The team led by Deputy Inspector General Raghubir Lal comprised three women personnel and was flagged-off from here on August 5 by CISF chief Rajesh Ranjan.

The team battled low atmospheric pressure, thin air, sub-zero temperatures, incessant snow blizzards and other harsh climatic conditions before scaling the peak on August 30, a Central Industrial Security Force spokesperson said.

They were honoured by the minister at an event held here, he said.

The CISF, as part of a Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) team, is planning to undertake its maiden expedition to world's highest peak the Mount Everest in March-April next year.

The spokesperson said the CISF is the first CAPF whose expedition team comprised three women personnel.

Congratulating the team, Minister of State for Home Reddy said self-confidence and indomitable courage are extremely necessary for such expeditions. He admired the efforts made by the women personnel of the team.

Mt Satopanth is the second-highest peak in western Himalayas of Gangotri region.

The main objective of the expedition was to spread the message of empowering women through mountaineering, to keep the spirit of adventure alive in the force among others, the spokesperson said.