Chennai: In an attempt to prepare school students to tackle any disaster situation that arises in the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs is planning to raise National Civil Defence Corps for school children from the next academic year.
"We are planning a pilot project along with the National Disaster Management Authority involving 100 schools initially handpicked by us. Chennai will probably have two schools. This will start from the next academic year," G S Saini, Director of the Nagpur-based National Civil Defence College said. "There is a need to educate school children on the situations that arise at the time we least expect and this is an attempt aimed at that," he said.
The pilot project, planned at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore, will facilitate a one master trainer from each school to undergo training at the National Civil Defence College at Nagpur and later impart training to students in his/her school, he said.
Asked how the project was different from the already existing National Cadet Corps (NCC) functioning under the Defence Ministry, Saini said the new project would train students in facing disasters, while NCC primarily imparted military training. National Civil Defence College under the Ministry of Home Affairs trains central police forces such as Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force and Central Industrial Security Force prepare their personnel for National Disaster Response Force.
PTI