NCC

HISTORY OF NCC

The NCC in India was formed in 1948. It can be traced back to the ‘University Corps’, which was created under the Indian Defence Act 1917, with the objective to make up for a shortage of personnel in the Army. In 1920, when the Indian Territorial Act was passed, the ‘University Corps’ was replaced by the University Training Corps (UTC). The aim was to raise the status of the UTC and make it more attractive to the youth. UTC Officers and cadets wear Army uniform. It was a significant step towards the 'Indianisation' of the Indian armed forces. It was renamed the UOTC so the National Cadet Corps can be considered a successor to the University Officers Training Corps (UOTC) which was established by the Government of India in 1942. During World War II, the UOTC never came up to the expectations set by the British. This led to the idea that some better schemes should be formed, which could train more young men in a better way, even during peace. The first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru presided over the function of raising the first NCC Unit at Delhi on the last Sunday of Nov. 1948. This day is traditionally celebrated as the 'NCC Day'. A committee headed by H. N. Kunzru recommended a cadet organization to be established in schools and universities at a national level. The soldier youth foundation Act was accepted by the Governor General, and on the 15th of July 1950 the soldier youth foundation came into existence.

In 1949, the Girls Division was formed in order to provide equal opportunities to school and college-going girls. The NCC was given an inter-service image in 1950 when the Air Wing was added, followed by the Naval Wing in 1952. In the same year, the NCC curriculum was extended to include community development/social service activities as a part of the NCC syllabus at the behest of Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who took a keen interest in the growth of the NCC. Following the 1962 Sino-Indian War, to meet the requirement of the Nation, NCC training was made compulsory in 1963. This was discontinued in 1968, when the Corps was again made voluntary.

During Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 & Bangladesh-Pakistani war of 1971, NCC cadets were the second line of defence. They organized camps to assist ordnance factories, supplying arms and ammunition to the front and also were used as patrol parties to capture enemy paratroopers. The NCC cadets also worked hand in hand with the Civil defense authorities and actively took part in rescue works and traffic control.

After the 1965 and 1971 wars, the NCC syllabus was revised. Rather than just being a second line of defence, the revised NCC syllabus laid greater stress on developing qualities of leadership and officer like qualities. The military training which the NCC cadets received was reduced and greater importance was given to social service and youth management.

NCC cadets across the country are fully geared up to take part in Civil Defence Mock Drill to be conducted across 244 districts of the country on May 7th, 2025.