(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, Nov 28 (IANS) The National Cadet Corps (NCC) plans to expand its presence in the strategic border state of Sikkim, an official said after a visit by NCC D-G Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh to Gangtok.
The plans include setting up of an NCC headquarters and a training facility for cadets in the Himalayan state. Presently, cadets from the state are part of the West Bengal and Sikkim Directorate that has a strength of over one lakh.
"The DG, NCC, met cadets from the 1 Sikkim Girls Battalion and 3 Sikkim Battalion. He interacted with the cadets at the Nar Bahadur Bhandari government College and spoke of opportunities that the NCC offers through training. Not only does the training help the youth in turning into disciplined citizens, it offers career options, even in the armed forces.
"The cadets who obtain the coveted 'C' Certificate (with high scores) are exempt from the written entrance exam for the Combined Defence Services (CDS). The NCC also provides training to the cadets, to help them clear the written examination and the Services Selection Board interview that are essential in the National Defence Academy selection process," the official said.
During the visit on Wednesday, Lt Gen Singh also gave away awards.
While Senior Under Officer (SUO) Nishtha received the DG NCC Commendation Card, the DG NCC medallion went to Junior Under Officer (JUO) Christina Rai.
Lt Dikit Lhamu Lepcha received the DG NCC Plaque and Leezum Lepcha a DG NCC Commendation Card.
"The DG, accompanied by Maj Gen Vivek Tyagi, ADG, NCC, West Bengal and Sikkim Directorate and Brig Mukesh Gurung met Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur. During the visit, several plans were discussed. Lt Gen Singh, Maj Gen Tyagi and Brig Gurung also met state education minister Raju Basnet and discussed the possibilities of setting up a Group Headquarters and training facility for the NCC," the official added.
He pointed to how the Ministry of Defence has cleared a plan to increase the NCC's strength from the present 17 lakh cadets to 20 lakh cadets over the next 10 years. This would turn the Force into the world's largest uniformed youth organisation.
With NCC becoming an elective subject, as per the National Education Policy 2020, several educational institutions are opting for it within their campuses. The budget allocation for the NCC in the 2024-25 budget has also been an all-time high of Rs 2,740 crore.
"The NCC cadets have performed yeomen service whenever called upon. During the Covid pandemic, nearly 50,000 NCC cadets offered exemplary service. They are always there to aid the civil administration, whether for traffic management during festivals or large events or natural calamities," the official said.
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