Not making NCC training compulsory, says Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi: The government is not considering making the National Cadet Corps (NCC) training compulsory in schools and colleges, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

"We can increase the number of students trained under NCC, but I can`t consider making it compulsory," Parrikar said in response to a query during question hour by Bharatiya Janata Party member Kapil Moreshwar Patil.

Patil had sought to know whether the government would make the NCC training compulsory to infuse nationalism among youths on the lines of Israel.

Patil also referred to a Wednesday`s incident in Delhi in which a man hit by a vehicle was left bleeding on the road for about 90 minutes without anyone volunteering to help him. The victim ultimately died.

"If any of the passers-by had been NCC trained, the deceased could have been saved," Patil argued.

The minister said nationalism could be cultivated through family culture, traditions and various other ways.