New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh has approved the proposal to expand the National Cadet Corps in 173 border and coastal districts from where one lakh new cadets will be inducted, an official statement said on Sunday.
However, the expansion of the NCC was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on Saturday.
He said “get trained manpower for disaster management, and the youth will also get skill training for making their career in the armed forces”.
The defence ministry’s statement said Singh has approved the NCC proposal “for a major expansion scheme”.
“More than 1,000 schools and colleges have been identified in border and coastal districts where NCC will be introduced,” it said.
A total of one lakh cadets from 173 border and coastal districts will be inducted into the NCC, it said, adding that one-third of them will be girls.
“As part of the expansion plan, a total of 83 NCC units will be upgraded (Army 53, Navy 20, Air Force 10) to impart NCC training to the cadets in the border and coastal areas,” the ministry noted.
The NCC is a youth development movement managed by the armed forces. It also provides exposure to cadets in a wide range of activities, with a distinct emphasis on social services, discipline and adventure training.
It is open to all students of schools and colleges on a voluntary basis.
Addressing the country from the Red Fort on August 15, Modi said, “About 173 districts in our border areas, our coastal areas share their boundaries with some of the other nation’s border or coastline. In the coming days, NCC would be extended in those border districts for the youth there.”
“We will train around one lakh new NCC cadets from bordering areas, and we will work towards the idea that amongst those, one-third of them are our daughters,” he said.
The “National Cadet Corps” came into existence on 15th July 1948 under National Cadets Corps Act enacted by the parliament. While the Army NCC unit in Girls Division was introduced in 1949. Air force and Naval NCC Units followed soon in 1950 and 1952 respectively. This voluntary youth
organization, which started with 20,000 cadets, is today probably the largest uniformed youth
organization in the world with 13 lakh cadets (boys and girls).
Its role is to discipline and hard work and in shaping them into dynamic and responsible citizens of the country had been well recognized. It is one of the foremost organization which grooms the youth, the students to be worthy citizens and future leaders of our nations and further it instils in students discipline, courage, and patriotism.
