By IANS
New Delhi : The spirit of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) should be replicated in other spheres for ensuring “constructive social changes”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday, urging India’s youth to “seek adventure and test their limits” in all spheres of life.
“The spirit of the NCC needs to be replicated in many spheres of our society to bring about constructive social changes,” Manmohan Singh said while addressing the Prime Minister’s Rally that brought the curtain down on the annual NCC Republic Day Camp here.
Some 1,900 cadets, both boys and girls, from the four corners of the country participated in a variety of activities during the two-week-long camp.
“The NCC inculcates among our youth the enduring values of our republic, our civilisation and our composite culture. You combine the dynamism and energy of youth with the discipline and camaraderie instilled by the NCC,” the prime minister noted.
“This provides an inspiring example of smartness, cheerfulness and team effort,” he added.
According to Manmohan Singh, NCC cadets are “bound together by the commonalities of our diverse faiths and the human values which the Indian identity so majestically expresses. The bright young men and women of the NCC display the promise and hope of India to address the challenges facing our ancient civilisation and modern nation,” he added.
“The NCC represents a movement for peace and constructive engagement for building an India where youth can play a more positive role for the cause of society and our nation.
“I have every reason to believe that your efforts within the NCC will contribute to this larger goal of nation building,” the prime minister added.
It was a matter of “great pride” that the NCC had “come forward and discharged its duties with efficiency and effectiveness”, the prime minister said, adding: “The services rendered by you to the victims of natural and man-made disasters are truly praiseworthy.”
Noting that the involvement of youth in a wide variety of nation building activities “will be a key determinant of our success and our excellence”, Manmohan Singh urged “our young people to seek adventure and test their limits, not just academically but in all spheres of one’s personality development.
In this context, he noted that the number of NCC cadets in schools and colleges has been “steadily growing.
“Pursuit of academic work in educational institutions must be accompanied by efforts for full flowering of one’s personality. The youth in our educational institutions can do so by joining the NCC in large numbers,” the prime minister said.