Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the proposal to expand the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in 173 border and coastal districts from where one lakh new cadets will be inducted, an official statement said on Sunday.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on Saturday had announced the expansion of the NCC.

PM Modi had said the NCC will be expanded in border and coastal districts so that these areas “get trained manpower for disaster management, and the youth will also get skill training for making their career in the armed forces.”

The Defence Ministry’s statement said Singh has approved the NCC proposal “for a major expansion scheme”.

“More than 1,000 schools and colleges have been identified in border and coastal districts where NCC will be introduced,” it said.

About one-third of the girls will be part of a total of one lakh cadets from 173 border and coastal districts who will be inducted into the NCC, it said.

“As part of the expansion plan, a total of 83 NCC units will be upgraded (Army 53, Navy 20, Air Force 10) to impart NCC training to the cadets in the border and coastal areas,” the ministry noted.

The Army will provide training and administrative support to NCC units located in border areas, it said.

The Navy will provide support to NCC units in coastal areas and the Air Force will provide support to those located close to its stations, the Defence Ministry statement stated.

The NCC is a youth development movement managed by the armed forces. It also provides exposure to cadets in a wide range of activities, with a distinct emphasis on social services, discipline and adventure training.

It is open to all regular students of schools and colleges on a voluntary basis.

The NCC expansion plan will be implemented in partnership with state governments, the ministry said.

On the occasion of Independence Day, PM Modi had said, “About 173 districts in our border areas, our coastal areas share their boundaries with some or the other nation’s border or coastline. In the coming days, NCC would be extended in those border districts for the youth there.”

“We will train around one lakh new NCC cadets from bordering areas, and we will work towards the idea that amongst those, one-third of them are our daughters,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)