Major Garima Yadav of the Indian Army’s Army Service Corps has taken on a landmark role in Uttar Pradesh, becoming the first woman officer from the Indian Army to serve as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She assumed the appointment on September 14, 2025, and is presently attached to Governor Anandiben Patel.
This posting is significant because she is also the first woman to hold the ADC position to the Governor in the state. The appointment places her in support of official engagements, ceremonial occasions, institutional visits and protocol duties connected with the Governor’s office.
In her current assignment, Major Garima Yadav works with the Governor’s Secretariat and coordinates with government departments and institutional authorities for official programmes and engagements. The role, as described in the source, combines protocol handling with administrative coordination at the Raj Bhavan level.
Major Garima Yadav was commissioned into the Indian Army on March 9, 2019, after completing her training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. She belongs to the Army Service Corps, the Army’s logistical arm that provides supply, transportation and related support to military operations.
Before joining the Armed Forces, she studied at Army Public School, Dagshai, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi. She had initially prepared for the Civil Services Examination with the aim of becoming an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, but did not clear the Mains examination.
Her career path then shifted to the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination. She secured All India Rank 2 in CDS 1 2017 and was recommended for the Indian Army in her first Services Selection Board (SSB) attempt, according to the source.
Before beginning her military career, Garima Yadav also won India’s Miss Charming Face beauty pageant in November 2017. The article says she reportedly had an opportunity to take part in an international beauty pageant in Italy, but chose to pursue a career as an officer in the Indian Army instead.
Following her selection, she underwent training at OTA Chennai and was commissioned on March 9, 2019. The report says this phase helped build the leadership qualities, physical endurance and professional skills expected of an Army officer.
During her commissioned service, Major Garima Yadav has held several operational and administrative appointments. The source says these assignments gave her experience in military logistics, leadership, coordination and administration.
Her public role was again visible on July 21, 2026, when she accompanied Governor Anandiben Patel during a visit to Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut. During that visit, the Governor reviewed the institution’s infrastructure and ongoing development activities, and the university’s official report identified Major Garima Yadav as the Governor’s ADC.
The appointment has attracted attention not only because it is a first for a woman Indian Army officer in Uttar Pradesh, but also because of her unusual path to the service. Her journey included civil services preparation, pageant participation and then a successful move into military life.
In an earlier interaction with SSBCrack in March 2019, shortly after her commissioning, she spoke about preparing for the CDS Examination, appearing for the SSB interview and undergoing training at OTA Chennai. She also spoke about the role her mother played in encouraging and supporting her ambitions.
From that early career stage to her present appointment at Raj Bhavan, Lucknow, Major Garima Yadav’s progression reflects a combination of persistence and varied experience. Her selection as ADC to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh adds another notable entry to the list of women officers taking on important responsibilities in the Armed Forces and public institutions.
For young women considering officer entry into the Indian Armed Forces, her career offers a visible example of an unconventional but successful route. The source specifically links her story to the CDS Examination and other officer-entry pathways.
Major Garima Yadav’s appointment on September 14, 2025, stands as a clear milestone in the representation of women officers within the Indian Army. Her role as the first woman Indian Army ADC to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh marks an important development in military and constitutional appointments in the state.
