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Record 917 girls among 2,361 cadets taking part in NCC Republic Day Camp 2025
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135 cadets from 18 friendly countries to participate under Youth Exchange Programme
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Strength of NCC cadets in the country increased from 17 lakh to 20 lakh in 2024; 40% being girls: DG NCC
New Delhi. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp 2025 is witnessing the participation of 2,361 cadets, including 917 girls – the largest number till date. Addressing a press conference at Delhi Cantt. on January 3, 2025, DG NCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh stated that the month-long camp will see the participation of cadets from across the country, which include 114 from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and 178 from the North East Region. He added that approx. 135 cadets from 18 friendly countries will participate in the camp under the Youth Exchange Programme.
During the camp, the cadets will participate in a number of activities such as cultural and training competitions. The aim of the camp is to provide exposure to the rich culture and traditions of India, enhance personal traits of cadets and strengthen their value system. The camp will be visited by a large number of dignitaries including Vice-President, Defence Minister, Minister of State for Defence, Chief Minister of Delhi, Chief of Defence Staff, three Service Chiefs and Defence Secretary. A marching contingent of NCC will also participate in the Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path on January 26, 2025. The activities will culminate with the PM’s Rally on January 27, 2025.
In his address, the DG NCC highlighted the major achievements of NCC in 2024, commending the members of the fraternity for playing their part in successful completion of 76 years of service of the world’s largest uniformed youth organisation to the nation. He emphasised that the strength of NCC cadets has increased from 17 lakh to 20 lakh with 40% being girls. Headded that apart from regular 1,162 Annual Training Camps, six Special National Integration Camps and 33 Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Camps were conducted to promote integration & strengthen bond amongst cadets of varied regions and cultures. In addition to the routine adventure activities, NCC carried out the following:
- Special Mountaineering Expeditions to Mt Kang Yatse (Ladakh) and Mt Abi Gamin (Uttarakhand).
- First-of-its-kind Special Sailing Expedition by 550 cadets over Ganga & Hooghly covering a distance of 1,720 kms.
- Sailing Expedition along the coastline from Mumbai to Visakhapatnam covering a distance of 3,045 kms.
- Historical re-enactment of Dandi March by 40 cadets covering a distance of 410 kms in 14 days. The Padyatra was conducted from December 10-23, 2024 culminating at National Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Dandi, Gujarat.
- Cyclothon from Meerut to New Delhi. The activity, which began on December 30, 2024, will pass through Bareilly, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jhansi & Agra covering 1,900 kms.
- Cyclothon from Hussianiwala to New Delhi. It would traverse through Khemkaran, Amritsar, Panipat covering 704 kms.
- NCC organised blood donation camps to mark its Raising Day. 40,000 units of blood were donated with an aim of saving lives.
The DG NCC also highlighted the contribution of NCC cadets in various Government initiatives/schemes. Over nine lakh trees were planted as part of ‘Ek Ped Maa ke Naam’. More than eight lakh cadets participated in the International Day of Yoga, and over four lakh cadets took part in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to promote cleanliness. This year, cadets training on contemporary subjects like cyber awareness & disaster management, and visits to institutes like Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) were also organised.
