While majority of the new women recruits are from Punjab, those passing out Saturday included young women from West Bengal and Assam also. Most of the recruits are in the 18 to 22 age group.

Among the new recruits, 14 are post-graduates, 22 graduates and 128 studied up to Class 12. The recruits include 25 sportswomen and 11 National Cadet Corps (NCC) volunteers.

'The training here was a physical and mental test for all of us. Now we are ready to serve our country. The BSF has given us a chance to come out of our villages and do something,' Rajwant Kaur, who comes from a village in Punjab's frontier district of Gurdaspur, told IANS.

BSF Director General M.L. Kumawat termed the passing out of the women recruits as a 'historical day'.

'It is a matter of pride that the BSF has thrown open its doors for women. It is a historical day for us,' Kumawat said.

The BSF was last year sanctioned nearly 700 posts for recruiting women constables for guarding international borders. Nearly 8,500 applications were received for these posts.