The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is the youth wing of the Indian Armed Forces with its headquarters in New Delhi, India. It is open to school and college students voluntarily as a Tri-Services Organisation, comprising the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Cadets are given basic military training in small arms and drill. Cadets and officers have no liability for active military service once they complete their course.

History

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, 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 an Army uniform. It was a significant step towards the 'Indianization' 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 lived 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 fourth Sunday of November in 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 15 July 1950, the " Soldier Youth Foundation " came into existence.

In 1949, the Girls Division was formed 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 requirements of the Nation, NCC training was made compulsory in 1963. This was discontinued in 1968, when the Corps was again made voluntary.

During the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and 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 work 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 that 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 the Civil Defence Mock Drill to be conducted across 244 districts of the country on 7 May 2025.

Aim and motto The discussion for the motto of NCC was started in the 11th Central Advisory Meeting (CAC) held on 11 August 1978. At that time, there were many mottos in mind like "Duty and wisdom"; "Duty, Unity and Discipline"; "Duty and Unity"; "Unity and Discipline". Later, at the 12th CAC meeting on 12 October 1980, they selected and declared "Unity and discipline" as the motto for the NCC. In living up to its motto, the NCC strives to be and is one of the greatest cohesive forces of the nation, bringing together the youth hailing from different parts of the country and molding them into united and disciplined citizens of the nation.

Organization The NCC is headed by the Director General (DG), an officer of three-star rank. The DG is assisted by two Additional Director Generals (A and B) of two-star rank (major-general, rear-admiral or air vice-marshal). Five Brigadier-level officers and other civil officials also assist him.

The Headquarters is located in Delhi. The organizational structure continues as follows:

Directorate – There are 17 Directorates located in the state capitals, headed by an officer of the rank of a Maj Gen from the three Services. Division / Regimental Corps – There are 3 such Specialized Corps located in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, respectively. They are independent of the state directorate and report to the HQ. These divisions form the support function of the regular NCC. Each is headed by a Senior Officer, an equivalent rank of (Lt.) General. Internal Affairs, Administration, Development, and Research: Lt. Gen. [SUO] Arvind Shekhar (New Delhi). Recruitment, Training, Media, and HR: Lt. Gen. [SUO] Prithvi Pant Negi (Mumbai). Special Forces, Infantry, Gallantry Committee & Commendations: Lt. Gen. [SUO] Bhav Salimath (Bangalore). Group – Depending upon the size of the state and growth of NCC in the states, Directorates have up to 14 Group Headquarters under them through which they exercise their command and control of the organization in the state. Each group is headed by an officer of the rank of Brigadier or equivalent, known as Group Commander. Battalion- Each NCC Group Headquarters controls 5–7 units (Bns) commanded by Colonel/Lt.Col or equivalent. Company – Each Battalion consists of companies which are commanded by the Associate NCC Officer (ANO) of the rank of lieutenant to major.

In all, there are 96 Group Headquarters in the country that exercise control over a network of 700 Army wing units (including technical and girls' units), 73 Naval wing units, and 64 Air Squadrons. There are two training establishments, namely Officers Training School, Kamptee (Nagpur, Maharashtra), and Women Officers Training School, Gwalior. Besides this, Vice Chancellors of various universities across India are conferred with the honorary rank of commandant in NCC, to promote and support NCC in their respective universities.

Director NoDirectorates 1Andhra Pradesh & Telangana 2Bihar & Jharkhand 3Delhi 4Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu 5Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh 6Goa & Karnataka 7Kerala & Lakshdweep 8Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh 9Maharashtra 10North East Region (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura) 11Odisha 12Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh 13Rajasthan 14Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 15Uttarakhand 16Uttar Pradesh 17West Bengal & Sikkim

Units

These 19 directorates are divided into 837 units. These units are divided into three service groups: Army, Navy, and Air Force. Out of those are 700 Army units, 73 Naval units, and 64 Air units.

Types of Army NCC units and their numbers are given below : Type of Unit Number ARMD SQN 11 ARTY REGT 03 ARTY BTY 20 ENGR REGT 02 ENGR COY 11 SIG REGT 01 SIG COY 13 MED BN 02 MED COY 11 R&V REGT 03 R&V SQN 15 EME BN 02 EME COY 06 CTR 11 CTC 12 INF BN 369 INF INDEP COY 46 GIRLS BN 97 GIRLS INDEP COY 12

Arms

HQ: HQ NCC, DTE, Group HQ, BN & COYHQ Army: Technical (Engineers, Signals, Medical, EME, CTR), Non-Technical (Infantry, Armored & ARTY) Air: Flying & Technical Navy: Unit, Naval Tech., Medical, DAS TRG: OTA - Gwalior & OTA - Kamptee

Strength

Army: Each battalion or unit under the NCC consists of platoons or companies. For the senior division boys, each platoon consists of 52 cadets, and each coy consists of 160 cadets. Each BN has 4 to 7 coys, so each BN carries around 640 to 1120 cadets. A senior wing girls BN consists of 2 to 7 companies, which means a total of 320 to 1120 cadets. For junior division boys and junior wing girls, each troop has 100 cadets, and each BN has at least one troop. Navy: For senior division boys, each BN or unit consists of 4 to 8 divisions, and each division consists of 50 cadets. For senior wing girls, a similar arrangement exists as in the senior division boys. For junior division boys and junior wing girls, each BN has a troop of 100 cadets. Air: For senior division boys and senior wing girls, each unit consists of at least 2 fleets, each consisting of 100 cadets. So each unit, known as a squadron, carries around 200 cadets. For junior wing girls and junior division boys, each squadron has a troop consisting of 100 cadets.

However, each unit can have up to 24 troops of junior division boys & girls, expanding their strength to 2400 cadets, but this is the maximum limit.

Personnel Cadet Ranks +Ranks and Insignias of the NCCUnder Officer ranksSNCO ranksJNCO ranksJunior CadetsArmy Wing Insignia No insigniaArmy Wing Ranks Cadet Senior Under Officer(CSUO) Cadet Junior Under Officer(CJUO) Company Sergeant Major(CSM) Company Quartermaster Sergeant(CQMS) Sergeant(SGT) Corporal(CPL) Lance Corporal(L/CPL) Cadet(CDT)Navy Wing Insignia No Equivalent No insignia No insigniaNavy Wing Ranks Senior Cadet Captain(SCC) Cadet Captain(CC)Petty Officer Cadet(PO CDT) Leading Cadet(LC) Naval Cadet I(NC I) Naval Cadet II(NC II)Air Force Wing Insignia No insigniaAir Force Wing Ranks Cadet Senior Under Officer(CSUO) Cadet Under Officer(CUO) Cadet Warrant Officer(CWO)Cadet Sergeant(C/SGT) Cadet Corporal(C/CPL) Leading Flight Cadet(LFC) Flight Cadet(F/CDT)

JD boys and JW girls are given ranks up to Company Sergeant Major (CSM) in the Army Wing. Only SD boys and SW girls are given ranks above CSM in the Army Wing. In the Air Force and Navy Wings, JD boys and JW girls are given ranks up to Cadet Warrant Officer/Petty Officer Cadet only, and SD boys and SW girls are given ranks above Cadet Warrant Officer/Petty Officer Cadet.

Regular Officers

The NCC directorates are headed by service officers of the rank of major general and equivalent; group headquarters are headed by service officers of the rank of brigadiers and equivalent. Regular NCC (Army Wing) units are commanded by officers of the rank of Colonel (selection grade); independent NCC Units (Army) are commanded by a service officer of the rank of Colonel (TS)/lieutenant colonel/major, or equivalent. They are responsible for the proper training, planning, and execution of NCC activities. In addition, each battalion also has an Administration Officer of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel/ Major.

Whole Time Lady Officers

A cadre of whole-time lady officers (WTLO) with a cadre strength of 110 officers was sanctioned in 1995. They are to be commissioned partly through the departmental channel and partly through the UPSC in a phased manner.

Associate NCC Officer

ANO is an important link in the NCC organization between the battalion and the cadets. As a matter of fact, ANO is the feeder node of NCC since they are the ones who are in direct contact with the cadets throughout the year. There are two training establishments, namely the Officers Training Academy, Kamptee, and the Officers Training Academy, Gwalior. These two institutions train the school and college teachers selected to head the company/troop. Courses in these institutions range from 21 days to 90 days in duration.

"ANOs are commissioned in NCC and not compared in regular Armed Forces.".

Associate NCC officers are given the following ranks according to their seniority and their training.

For colleges (in charge of SD & SW): (NCC Army Wing) Major Captain Lieutenant

For schools (in charge of JD & JW, equivalent commissioned officer): Chief Officer 1st Officer 2nd Officer

Uniform