National Cadet Corps (NCC), which has become an academic subject okayed by University Grants Commission (UGC) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), will soon work for strengthening its female cadets.
NCC Director General (DG) lieutenant General (lt Gen) PS Bhalla at a ceremony to confer the honorary title of NCC Colonel (Col) rank to Ranchi University (RU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr laxmi Narayan Bhagat on Saturday, announced that NCC would be sending an all girls' team to Mount Everest in 2016 for the first time. Former NCC cadet Dr Bhagat was also given the title of NCC Col Commandant along with this honorable rank due to his outstanding work in education, administration and promotion of NCC at university level.
According to Bhalla, the decision to send cadets to the Mount Everest was taken in 2011. In May this year, a team of boy cadets had climbed this mountain and bagged the top position in mountaineering.
lt Gen Bhalla dwelt on the need of empowering the youth for nation building. General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western command, lt Gen Gyan Bhusan, who was a National Defence Academy batchmate of lt Gen Bhalla four decades back and an alumnus of Sainik School at Tilaiya was present on the occasion. Both the dignitaries hoped that the office of newly appointed Col Comdt would enthuse NCC cadets to pursue nation-building.
Highlighting the overall NCC growth, lt Gen Bhusan said, "RU has succeeded well in NCC."
NCC presently involves 15 lakh cadets spread over 630 districts across the nation. As a pilot project of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), 30 Indian colleges have been approved for introduction of NCC as an elective subject of which two are in Jharkhand, namely Ranchi College and Jamshedpur Women's College.
In class ninth and tenth of CBSE board, it is a compulsory subject for the NCC cadets whereas in classes 11 and 12, it is an optional subject. The credits added due to NCC subject in academics at school and college level would benefit the students in grabbing career opportunities in military and para-military forces.
Notably, NCC is planning to set up three more battalions in the State. "A group headquarters at Hazaribagh and two more are lined up," said lt Gen Bhusan.
The civil and military officials also planted saplings at floriculture and arboriculture locations at RU as part of ongoing Van Mahotsav month. Additional DG of Bihar and Jharkhand NCC Directorate Major General Rajpal Singh, Central University of Jharkhand VC DT Khating and officials of RU and Indian Army attended the ceremonial moment with a large number of students of the university.