New Delhi: Delhi’s Education Minister Ashish Sood announced that the Delhi Government has approved the expansion of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and will soon establish a state-of-the-art NCC Academy in the Capital. He made the announcement while addressing a grand event organized by the NCC Directorate, Delhi, near the War Memorial at KG Marg to celebrate 150 years of the patriotic song Vande Mataram.
Addressing hundreds of NCC cadets and officers, Sood said, “Before me stand the youth who represent India’s strength, discipline, and future. When Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Vande Mataram, he gave voice to an India yearning to rise from the darkness of slavery into the dawn of freedom.”
Reflecting on the song’s enduring relevance, he said, “In 1905, when 40,000 people raised the slogan Vande Mataram at Kolkata’s Town Hall, the world realized that Indians would not bow down easily. Now, 150 years later, as India moves through its Amrit Kaal, Vande Mataram is not just history, it is our mantra for the future.”
Sood also drew attention to Delhi’s current challenges, including pollution, the Yamuna’s rejuvenation, power infrastructure, and waste management. “If Delhi’s three crore citizens each take one step daily to resolve the city’s issues, Delhi will move three crore steps forward. And who will lead these steps? You — the youth of Delhi,” he told the cadets.