BENGALURU: Though lacking an integral training facility that cadets can use at will, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Karnataka and Goa Directorate came third in the Prime Minister’s Banner on Republic Day this year. The cadets were felicitated here on Sunday.
Since 1979, the Karnataka and Goa Directorate has been winners of the coveted Prime Minister’s Banner 11 times and runners-up 12 times.
This year for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, the contingent of 106 cadets, consisting of 97 cadets from Karnataka and nine cadets from Goa, were placed third.
“There is a handicap that we are facing today. We do not have an integral training facility which we can utilise at will for training the cadets in various facets. We have urged the state government to establish an exclusive National Cadet Core Academy at Raichur with firing range, obstacle course, drill squares, flying and firing simulators, auditorium, office and living infrastructure for cadets and staff,” said Col KB Jairaj, Director, Karnataka & Goa NCC Directorate.
“We have also taken up the case for developing the training infrastructure at Hosahalli, Hubballi and Mangaluru in the existing tracts of land allotted to us. We have also registered to establish boat mooring jettings at Ulsoor, Mangaluru, Mysuru, and Goa. We have also sought hanger facilities and flying strips for our micro-light aircrafts and gliders at Belagavi, Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Mangaluru,” he said. Despite their shortcomings in training infrastructure, in Thal Sainik camp, the all India camp for Army cadets, the state’s cadets bagged the first position in inter-directorate shooting championship.
The cadets were felicitated by Brigadier DM Purvimath, Deputy Directorate General, Karnataka and Goa Directorate NCC. There are 1,774 cadets in the Karnataka and Goa Directorate drawn from 448 colleges and 773 schools. The Prime Minister’s Rally, the most prestigious event of the NCC Republic Day Camp, is held on January 28 every year.