Only 26 cadets from Telugu States for R-Day parade

The sharp reduction in numbers is due to the social distancing norms in place for COVID

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will collectively depute only 26 cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to the Republic Day parade to be held in New Delhi on January 26 next, in tune with COVID-19 protocol.

This number is in sharp contrast to the 110 cadets generally representing the Telugu States at the prestigious event. The reduction was necessitated due to the social distancing norms in place for curbing the spread of the pandemic.

NCC Deputy Director-General (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) Air Commodore T.S. Suresh Krishnan, who was here at Tirupati group headquarters on Tuesday as part of the annual inspection of NCC units, spoke to reporters on a range of issues. To a query on expansion of NCC operations to private schools, he saw the response from students as encouraging, but found the general reluctance of certain schools to invest the mandatory fund of ₹6.5 lakh per year as a dampener.

Pointing to the new battalion in Anantapur raised and operationalised in 2018, Mr. Suresh Krishnan explained that it had failed to make headway with successive governments refraining from deputing the required administrative staff. He also hinted at the possibility of its withdrawal if the State continued to remain indifferent to its pleas.

Earlier, he received a guard of honour from NCC outriders and was formally received by the Group Commander Colonel Ganga Sateesh. The DDG was overwhelmed by the Tirupati group’s commitment in deputing the maximum number of cadets to serve the public during the lockdown and was all praise for the 142 cadets who had assisted the State administration. He is scheduled to visit the Chittoor and Kadapa units on Wednesday.