Arvind Raturi
[2] To select the team for Mt Everest Expedition, 108 (one hundred and eight) NCC boy cadets were shortlisted from across the country and trained at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi.[5] Nine cadets were finally selected and sent for winter acclimatization training to Siachen Glacier exposing them to extreme cold conditions where minimum temperatures fell to minus 50 (fifty) degrees Celsius.Bhalla who remarked that history was created by this young team to be the "First pure NCC Expedition to summit the pinnacle of glory "The Mount Everest".[9] The nine cadets forming part of NCC Everest Expedition Team 2013 were conferred the Raksha Mantri Padak by Defence Minister A.K.[10] The Raksha Mantri Padak was instituted in 1989 and since then, is awarded to the most deserving cadets every year for bravery or exceptional service of highest order.