2,274 cadets to take part in NCC R-Day camp, 907 girl cadets: DG

New Delhi: A total of 2,274 cadets will take part in the NCC Republic Day Camp 2024 here, which will see enhanced participation of girl cadets this year, its director general said on Wednesday.

During a press briefing at Delhi Cantonment, Director General of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh also said that there is a "steady increase" in enrollment of girl cadets in the NCC every year.

The NCC R-Day Camp which captures the essence of India, will be inaugurated by the vice president and culminate with the PM Rally.

“For this year's NCC Republic Day Camp, we have 2,274 cadets and enhanced participation of girl cadets this year, as 907 of them will be there in this year's camp,” he said.

A total of 2,155 cadets, including 710 girls, drawn from all 28 states and eight union territories, had participated in the nearly month-long camp in 2023, according to an official statement issued by the government last year.

“Various competitions will be held, starting from best contingent, best cadet and horse riding. The camp captures the essence of NCC training imparted throughout the year," Lt Gen Singh told reporters on Wednesday.

The camp takes place at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment.

During his briefing, the DG, NCC gave a presentation on the 2024 camp and later shared information on the NCC's plan to make the training of cadets more relevant to contemporary needs.

“We are in the process of revising the NCC syllabus, which is a continuous process. We want to make this training contemporary, we want to include the latest facets, we are in the process of analysing how we can train cadets on drones, improve life skills and make the training more contemporary and relevant," he said.

The top officer said for instance for map reading, the NCC has already included GPS and satellite imagery training for them.

“So, one is to make our training more contemporary. The second aspect is to improve the infrastructure for training, we have NCC training academies at various places, and we have training aides there. So, the next effort would be to improve the infrastructure so that we can train the cadets well, and the training aides get the latest equipment.. and, thirdly also to look after the welfare of all the staff of NCC," Lt Gen Singh said in response to a query.

The NCC R-Day Camp also serves as a platform for youths of the country, drawn from different states and UTs, to interact among themselves and learn about each other's culture.