New Delhi, Apr 24 (IANS): In a first, the CRPF on Friday inducted 42 Directly Appointed Gazetted Officers (DAGOs) into its rank through e-Passing out Parade (PoP) in view of the social distancing norms to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

The 51st batch of the DAGOs presented the PoP at the Central Reserve Police Force CRPF) academy in Gurugram and their performance was witnessed by the force Director General A.P. Maheshwari through video conferencing from the headquarters in Delhi's CGO complex.

Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy also addressed the DAGOs through video conferencing from his office in North Block.

Welcoming in the country's largest paramilitary force, the CRPF Director General said that the PoP is a unique moment in the life of a uniformed soldier.

"It is at this glorious moment that he positions himself in the crosshairs of duty and dedication towards the service of the nation," he said.

The trainee officers had successfully completed their 52 weeks-long training at the academy on March 5. However, their PoP, earlier scheduled on March 22, had been put on hold due to the pandemic, a CRPF official said.

"Later, it was reworked into an e-PoP today (Friday) to enable the young officers to render their valuable service to the people during the ongoing public health crisis."

The entire PoP exercise was conducted with strict compliance of the novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic protocol at the academy. Even the parents or guardians, who are normally invited to such ceremonies, were weblinked from their respective places to witness the momentous occasion.

All the 42 officers include diverse educational profiles such as engineering, medical, management, law and mass communication apart from general streams.