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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
Starting from just 20,000 cadets on its rolls when it was formed in 1948, the NCC would have expanded hundred-fold when it reaches its sanctioned strength of 2 million. This will make it the world’s largest uniformed youth organisation.
The defence budget usually sees a steady increase in funds to the NCC. The allocation for Financial Year 2024-25 (FY24-25) is Rs 2,740 crore, a substantial rise over the allocation of Rs 1,883 crore for FY20-21.
“With NCC being offered as an elective subject as per the National Education Policy 2020, the expansion will be a step towards meeting the aspirations of the youth towards playing a pivotal role as future leaders of the nation,” said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement on Wednesday.
NCC is popular amongst school and college students across the country. It involves military instructors teaching students drill, weapons firing, first aid, adventure training, camping and other military subjects. Students who achieve high levels of proficiency are offered preferential selection as commissioned officers in the military.
Over the years, the NCC has assisted the government in natural disasters and other emergencies. More than 50,000 NCC cadets were pressed into service to help the government implement the lockdown during the Covid-19 crisis.
A total of 814 NCC units across the country already provide training in 16,597 schools and colleges, the MoD told Parliament on March 7, 2018. These are grouped into 17 regional directorates spread across the country and are headed by a lieutenant general based in New Delhi.
The proposed expansion plan will see the establishment of four new group headquarters and the addition of two new NCC units.
The expansion plan involves employing ex-servicemen as NCC instructors, leveraging their skills and experience. This initiative will ensure quality training to the NCC cadets while also generating employment opportunities for the veterans.
The organisation was formed under the National Cadet Corps Act of 1948. It has its origins in the University Corps, created during World War I, under the Indian Defence Act of 1917, to make up for the shortage of able-bodied personnel to carry out law and order duties.
First Published: Mar 13 2024 | 3:06 PM IST
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