The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp 2024 got under way at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment with a 'Sarva Dharma Puja' on Saturday, December 30. A total of 2,274 cadets from all 28 states and eight union territories will be participating in the month-long camp this year. As many as 907 girls are in attendance, which marks the highest number of female participants in the history of the NCC Republic Day Camp, a press release from the Ministry of Defence said. In 2023, the number of girl cadets at the camp was 710.
Showcasing the country's rich cultural and geographical diversity, this year's camp portrays a microcosm of ‘Mini India’, as the participants also include 122 cadets from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, besides 171 from the North-Eastern Region, the ministry said.
In addition to the national participants, the camp will host an international dimension with the Youth Exchange Programme. This year, the programme welcomes cadets and officers from 25 friendly countries, including Argentina, Botswana, Bhutan, Brazil, Czech Republic, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Tajikistan, UK, Venezuela, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Mozambique. In 2023, the number was 19.
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Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh, the Director-General of NCC, addressed the cadets, emphasising the importance of participating with enthusiasm and gaining the maximum from the camp's activities. He urged the cadets to uphold values such as Character, Integrity, Selfless Service, comradeship, and teamwork, transcending barriers of religion, language, and caste, in the spirit of putting the nation first.
The cadets for Republic Day Camp, which offers a variety of training opportunities, cultural activities, and social service initiatives, all designed to foster unity and national pride among the youth, are selected after several rounds of rigorous screening in the last one year.