NCC chief seeks help from state

KOLKATA: Disappointed with the tardy progress of NCC activities in West Bengal, National Cadet Corps director general Lt. Gen B.K. Bopanna, AVSM, VSM, met chief minister Buddhabeb Bhattacharjee and higher education minister Satyasadhan Chakrabarty on Saturday. He was on his way to Port Blair for a National Integration Camp.
"Being an NCC cadet himself, the chief minister understands the importance of NCC among the youth and has assured proper funding in the next financial year," Bopanna said.
He said he had met Bhattacharjee last year also, but no action was taken by the state to fulfil its responsibilities regarding NCC activities.
"I understand that the state is facing a cash crunch, but it is difficult to carry on the various training programmes efficiently without the state''s support in infrastructure and administration," he remarked.
According to him, West Bengal lagged behind states such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in providing incentives for students to opt for NCC. "With growing academic pressure on students, it is essential to provide incentives in the form of reserved seats for NCC cadets in higher education and employment," he said.
"Its not that students aren''t interested in NCC, but we have a sanctioned strength in each state. We have a long waiting list of students eager to join, but we have to ensure the state''s co-operation first," Bopanna clarified.
Brig. Rakesh Mehta told TNN that the state was responsible for providing office buildings, recruitment of staff and proper functioning of the battalions. West Bengal had fared badly in provision of manpower, because of which NCC had decided to withdraw from some units including Bankura in April, he said.