National Cadet Corps

• 29 Nov 2021

Why in News

Recently, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) has observed the 73^rd anniversary of its raising on 28^th November.

• In August 2020, the Ministry of Defence approved the proposal to Expand the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in border and coastal districts.
• In March 2021, the Kerala High Court ordered the Central government to amend the National Cadet Corps Act (NCC Act) 1948 which excludes transgender persons from joining the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The NCC was formed in 1948 (on the recommendation of H. N. Kunzru Committee-1946), and has its roots in British era uniformed youth entities like University Corps or University Officer Training Corps.
    
    • Its history can be traced back to the ‘University Corps’, which was created under the Indian Defence Act 1917 with an objective to make up for personnel shortage in the Indian Army.
    • The NCC also expanded later on to include the Girls Division in 1949 to provide equal opportunities to women willing to serve the country's defences.
    • Currently it has a strength of around 14 lakh cadets from Army, Navy and Air Force wings.
  • NCC is the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world. It enrolls cadets at high school and college level and also awards certificates on completion of various phases.
    
    • The NCC cadets receive basic military training at various levels and also have academic curriculum basics related to Armed forces and their functioning.
    • Various training camps, adventure activities and military training camps are an important aspect of NCC training.
• Ministry:
  
  • The NCC falls under the purview of the Ministry of Defence and is headed by a Director General of three-star military rank.
• Significance:
  
  • NCC cadets have played an important role over the years in relief efforts during various emergency situations.
  • During the ongoing pandemic, over 60,000 NCC cadets have been deployed for voluntary relief work in coordination with district and state authorities across the country.
  • Contribution of cadets through various initiatives in Exercise-Yogdan in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic have been widely appreciated by the people across the country.
  • The cadets participated wholeheartedly in ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’, ‘Mega Pollution Pakhwada’ and played a pivotal role in spreading awareness about various government initiatives like ‘Digital Literacy’, ‘International Day of Yoga’, ‘Tree Plantation’ and Covid-19 vaccination drive, etc.
  • The multifaceted activities and varied curriculum of the NCC, provides unique opportunities to the youth for self-development.
  • Many cadets have done the nation and the organisation proud by their remarkable achievements in the field of sports and adventure.
  • The NCC continues its relentless efforts, towards moulding the present-day youth into responsible citizens of tomorrow.

Source: PIB