Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday approved a proposal of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) for a major expansion scheme to meet the aspirations of youth in all the border and coastal districts of the country.
The proposals of the scheme were announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15.
A total of one lakh cadets from 173 border and coastal districts will be inducted into the NCC. One-third of the cadets would be girls. More than 1,000 schools and colleges have been identified in border and coastal districts where NCC will be introduced.
As part of the expansion plan, a total of 83 NCC units will be upgraded to impart NCC training to the cadets in these areas. These include 53 Army units, 20 Naval units, and 10 Air units.
Army will provide training and administrative support to the NCC units located in the border areas, Navy shall provide support to NCC units in the coastal areas and similarly, Air Force will provide support to the NCC units located close to the Air Force stations.
This will not only provide exposure to the youth of the border and coastal areas to military training and disciplined way of life but will also motivate them to join the armed forces.
The expansion plan will be implemented in partnership with the states, an official statement issued today said.
The NCC is a tri-service organisation and the Ministry of Defence that imparts training to the youth in basic military skills, leadership qualities, and adventure activities. With a present strength of about 13 lakh cadets drawn from schools and colleges across the country, it is the largest youth volunteer organisation in the world. Cadets, after passing NCC B-certificate and C- certificate exams are entitled to various benefits, including reservation in some government jobs. -TNS
