Cadet strength of NCC North-east region will increase: DG

The Director General of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Lt Gen Vinod Vashisht today said the cadet strength of the NCC North-east region directorate will see an increase of 30 per cent from the current strength of 89,000 by the end of 2020.
The NCC is also pushing its presence in the border districts in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Manipur.
"The current cadet strength is 89,000. By 2020 we will raise another 30 per cent and that will exceed one lakh," Lt Gen Vashisht told reporters here.
He is on a two-day visit to the state.
Of the 108 districts in the region, he said, "We have six or seven districts which are not covered right now and some are not receiving adequate attention," urging his officers and staffs to reach out to these districts and the concerned state governments to try and get them covered adequately under the NCC programmes.

Blaming the remoteness of the area and the absence of good institutions, the NCC chief said these districts include one district in Meghalaya (Garo Hills region), four districts in Manipur and three in Aurnachal Pradesh.

In fact, an NCC unit raised recently is being officially inaugurated today at a remote Anini town in Arunachal Pradesh which very close to the border with China's Tibet region, the NCC DG said.
Lt Gen Vashist during his visit has also specifically sought the progress made with each state government in the region on the status of having NCC presence in border areas.
NCC NER Addl DG Maj Gen Raju Chauhan briefed in detail on the latest status of each state especially in states where there are districts not covered by the NCC.

The NCC chief asserted that the NCC is making best efforts to reach out to the nooks and corners of the region despite its remotes and security situation.
On the upgradation of Air and Naval units in the NE Region, Vashist said the two air units will soon have micro light aircrafts and flying will commence very soon as the monsoons are over.
The Naval units will also get new equipments and the naval training in Sibsagar and Guwahati will commence training and be given equal impetus as any other units in the country, he said.
The NCC Air squadrons are in Dimapur, Tezpur, Imphal, Jorhat and Guwahati.