Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt urged the youth to foster a strong sense of purpose and passion to meet the challenges of life. He was addressing the National Cadets Corps (NCC)cadets after flagging off the 85th NCC Boys & Girls Mountaineering Expedition 2023 in New Delhi.
Commending NCC on its role in nation-building, he said: “The role of NCC in nation-building is well known to all of us. The qualities of discipline, leadership, camaraderie, and adventure being inculcated among the student community of the nation by the NCC will surely prepare them to take on greater challenges of life”.
This is the 85th NCC Cadets Expedition since 1970. The team will be attempting to scale Mt Yunum (6111m) located in the Lahaul District of Himachal Pradesh by 1st week of June 2023.
The team of the NCC Mountaineering Expedition to Mt Yunum in Himachal Pradesh constitutes of 4 Officers, 10 PI Staff and 18 NCC Cadets out of which 11 are Girls. These cadets have been selected from various NCC Directorates in the country.
The NCC is also expanding under a major expansion program nationwide.
NCC’s expansion
Bhatt has been instrumental in the expansion of the NCC.
The NCC, a tri-service organisation is planning a major expansion of cadet strength by 8 lakh from the current strength of 15 lakh.
The expansion will enable greater allocations of resources, training and equipment across the wings comprising various NCC battalions.
However, the expansion will cover NCC units of the Army and not naval and air wing units, as they have a requirement for specialised equipment.
He has also highlighted the crucial role of NCC which aims at enhancing its coverage in coastal and border areas and left-wing extremism-affected areas with particular emphasis on transforming the youth of these remote areas.
He expressed confidence that the special efforts will increase the reach of NCC to the rural and semi-urban areas by locating maximum new raisings in such areas.
The NCC at the state level is divided into 17 Directorates, in which each state or group of states forms a Directorate. The smaller states and union territories are attached with Directorates of the bigger states. Each Directorate is under the command of an Officer equivalent to the rank of a Brigadier (being upgraded to the rank of Major General) or its equivalent from the other two Services.
