NCC strength to be increased by two lakh: DG

Srinagar, May 17 (UNI) The strength of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in the country will be increased by two lakh from the existing 13 to 15 lakh while Jammu and Kashmir would get additional 5000 cadets.

NCC Director General Lt Gen M C Bhandari said here the NCC was making concerted efforts to increase the number of girl cadets.

It was also authorising additional Girl Cadet Instructors (GCIs) for supervision and administration of girls, he added.

Gen Bhandari, who is on a three-day visit to the Valley, said there has been a substantial increase of 67 per cent in the budgetary support from the Centre over the past five years.

The Centre was likely to provide 100 per cent funding of camp expenditure for Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

Gen Bhandari, who is the Colonel Commandant of the Garhwal Regiment and Garhwal Scouts, said efforts were on to make NCC compulsory for students for at least 18 months which will provide a disciplined workforce and act as a force multiplier for making the country a developed nation by 2020.

For better training, he said the NCC is introducing INSAS series of weapons, at present being used by the Indian Army and world class gliders, for training of naval cadets.

India's youth exchange programme was presently with 11 countries but would be soon increased to 17 more nations, Gen Bhandari said, adding efforts were on to acquire land from state governments to make NCC cities for training and developing cadets.

In addition, the NCC in collaboration with the United Nations was launching two major social welfare projects for fighting AIDS/HIV and drugs menace in the country, the DG said.

He said the corporate sector has realised the potential of NCC cadets and were coming forward in employing the cadets.

''Reliance is taking NCC 'C' certificate holders as security officers on a handsome salary and Sahara India is providing scholarships worth Rs one crore every year,'' he added.

The DG lauded the Jammu and Kashmir NCC Directorate for its untiring and vigorous efforts to carry out activities in remote and disturbed areas of the state.

The successful scaling of Mount Everest by Cadet Tsering Ladol as part of the Army's All Women Mountaineering Expedition was one such achievement, he added.

Gen Bhandari said he will urge Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to increase allocation of funds besides offering better pay to NCC officers.

The DG said he would also request for increasing the strength of naval cadets and introducing an air squadron in the state.

UNI AG PA SSC1358