Services of NCC cadets sought to help fight Covid

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 6

The Deputy Commissioner of Kangra district has approached the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate here for requisitioning the services of 86 cadets to assist the local police in ensuring social distancing in Kangra city localities.

The cadets will initially be deployed till April 14, according to an official statement issued today. Elsewhere in the region, the Union Territory of Ladakh has sought the deployment of eight cadets in supply chain management.

The Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) had allowed temporary employment of NCC cadets last week under the Exercise NCC Yogdan to give a helping hand to the state and municipal authorities to augment relief efforts in the fight against Covid-19.

The civil administration and police forces in many parts of the country have started requisitioning the services of senior division NCC cadets. Detailed guidelines have been issued in this regard by the MoD and cadets are being imparted training for the job.

The types of tasks envisaged for cadets include manning of helplines and call centers; distribution of relief material, medicines, food and essential commodities; community assistance; data management and queue and traffic management and manning of CCTV control rooms. Only those cadets who volunteer would be employed.

The largest requisition so far has been from the Superintendent of Police of Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, who has sought the services of 245 cadets in supply chain and traffic management. Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya are among other states that have requisitioned the services of NCC cadets.