Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has called upon the Director General National Cadets Corps to consider Swachh Bharat Abhiyan as one of the special porgrammes and theme for the year 2016. Speaking during his visit to the NCC Republic Day Camp at Delhi Cantt today, he said each team of the NCC formation should choose at least one village or area not only to keep it clean but also to create awareness of Swachh Bharat Campaign. <br/><br/>Commenting that sports has always been a vital ingredient of the NCC curriculum, the Minister complimented the NCC in entering the Limca Book of Records on International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2015 and winning the Jawahar Lal Nehru Hockey Tournament. He also conveyed his good wishes to the Girl Cadets who are slated to scale the Mount Everest in summer this year. Mr Parrikar also said that the initiatives taken by DGNCC to revise the training philosophy and the syllabus to keep pace with current socio-economic demands and aspirations of all stakeholders and youth is a step in the right direction. <br/><br/>On the occasion, Mr Parrikar conferred Raksha Mantri Padak and Commendation Cards to NCC Cadets for their exemplary performance. This year's Raksha Mantri Padak has been awarded to Senior Under Officer Satabdi Roy of Odisha. The Raksha Mantri Commendation Cards have been awarded to Senior Under Officer Sonika of Haryana, Senior Under Officer Milan Khan of West Bengal and Senior Cadet Capt S M Shahid of Madhya Pradesh. The Minister also visited the Flag Area where he was briefed by the young cadets about their States highlighting various social themes.