After 33 years, the Indian Navy begins NCC training in the Kashmir Valley

After a 33-year hiatus, the Indian Navy has resumed naval training for the National Cadets Corps (NCC) in response to improvements in the security situation in the Kashmir Valley. The training on the Manasbal Lake in the Ganderbal area of central Kashmir was attended by more than 100 NCC cadets.

For 100 senior NCC cadets, boys and girls, from all regions of the Union territory, the first training activity has been planned. The camp is scheduled to go through September 26 and will help the cadets get ready for the upcoming national NCC camp in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, which will start on October 2.

”I think it’s a momentous occasion that after a gap of 33 years, the NCC cadets of Kashmir region are fortunate to be part of this camp which has started, and will help them train in the naval training activities very close to their homes. Before this, they had to go to Jammu. In the late 1980s, security situation turned grim and we had to shift our training areas. Now with restarting of this exercise at Manasbal, I am sure the NCC training in the valley will get a great fillip,” said Brigadier K S Kalsi, group commander, NCC cadets.

“The Naval training camps have a number of activities, but this one is specially preparing cadets of J&K and Ladakh for the upcoming national level NCC camp at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh commencing on October 2. These cadets are being trained in boat pulling, sailing, ship modelling and signalling. All of them are very important naval training activities. I have no doubt that all the youth who are going to see these events upfront, or through the media in Kashmir will get motivated,” added Brigadier Kalsi.

As a result of the training facility in Manasbal, Kashmir’s NCC cadets will no longer need to go to Jammu for training, which will greatly encourage more youngsters to join the NCC. Kashmir is blessed with a variety of water bodies. The fact that the camp is finally being organised in the valley after many years made the cadets quite excited.

”This training camp has been organised in the valley after a long time, a lot of children from various colleges have come from various parts of the Union territory. I would want other children to come and be a part of these camps. We are being trained in boat pulling, swimming, sailing, and drills. The Navy officers motivate us to join the Indian Navy,” said Ovais Rashid, a cadet.

These cadets primarily volunteer for the training camps in order to join the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force.

”It’s a great opportunity for us to be a part of this camp. Due to security reasons, these camps were not held in the Kashmir valley but now they have been restarted and we will get to learn a lot. I want to join the Indian Navy and that’s why I have joined NCC,” said Kiran Chaudhary, a cadet.

Due to terrorist activity, these cadets have spent the majority of the last three decades receiving their training at Nagrota and Mansar Lake in the Jammu region, which has caused the cadets from the Kashmir Valley much inconvenience.

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