NCC Organisation and History
Where the NCC came from
The National Cadet Corps was raised on 15 July 1948 under the National Cadet Corps Act, 1948, following the recommendations of the H. N. Kunzru Committee. It started with roughly 20,000 cadets and is today the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world. Brigadier Hira Lal Atal was the first Director General; the Directorate General NCC is at New Delhi. NCC Day is observed on the fourth Sunday of November, while 15 July is the raising day. The motto is "Unity and Discipline", and the NCC flag carries red, navy blue and light blue.
How it is organised
- Three wings: Army, Navy and Air Force.
- Four divisions: Senior Division (boys, colleges), Senior Wing (girls, colleges), Junior Division (boys, schools), Junior Wing (girls, schools).
- State-level Directorates (17) under the DG NCC; units are grouped into battalions and companies.
- Army-wing cadet ranks: Cadet → Lance Corporal → Corporal → Sergeant → Cadet Senior Under Officer.
The three aims are to develop character, comradeship, discipline, a secular outlook, the spirit of adventure and the ideal of selfless service; to create an organised, trained and motivated human resource; and to motivate youth towards a career in the armed forces.
Worked example
"A girl in Class XI of a government school is enrolled in NCC. Which division and wing is she in?" School, not college, means Junior; a girl means Wing. Answer: Junior Wing. If she later joins a degree college she moves to the Senior Wing.
Traps
Do not mix the Act (1948), the raising date (15 July 1948) and NCC Day (fourth Sunday of November). There are three wings, not four. Colleges are Senior and schools are Junior - a very common error. The first DG was Hira Lal Atal.