New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) The NCC on Monday joined hands with the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) to provide hands-on training to a section of cadets on cybersecurity and equip them to identify and respond to cyber threats effectively.
The move aims to create a pool of trained ‘cyber cadets’ who can contribute to spreading cyber awareness and enhanced digital literacy.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Cadet Corps and NIELIT in the presence of DG, NCC, Lt Gen Virendra Vats and DG, NIELIT, Madan Mohan Tripathi here, the defence ministry said.
The purpose is to empower cadets with structured training in “cyber awareness, digital hygiene and practical cyber defence skills”, it said.
Under the MoU, a comprehensive ‘Cyber Security Capacity Building Programme’, will be implemented in two stages.
The first stage — ‘Cyber Security Awareness Programme’ — is a 15-hour online training module designed to provide foundational knowledge of digital literacy, safe internet practices, cyber hygiene, and awareness of cyber threats, the ministry said in a statement.
This stage will be open to all enrolled NCC cadets across the country and will be delivered through the NIELIT Digital University platform.
The second stage — ‘Cyber Defender Programme’ — is an intensive 60-hour offline training designed for selected cadets who qualify through a merit-based screening process, it said.
“This stage will focus on hands-on training, real-life simulations, and practical exposure to cybersecurity tools and techniques, enabling cadets to identify and respond to cyber threats effectively,” the ministry said.
The initiative aims to create “a pool of trained NCC cyber cadets” who can contribute to spreading cyber awareness, promoting safe digital practices, and supporting cyber security initiatives at the grassroots level, it said.
The programme also seeks to align with national priorities under the Digital India initiative and the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
Director General, NCC, Lt Gen Vats, during a press conference in January, had said that the NCC plans to raise a group of ‘cyber warriors’ who can contribute to bolstering India’s digital defence mechanism.
Work is in progress under a plan to raise 10,000 cadets as ‘cyber warriors’, “who can stand as a wall of digital defence, as today, the cyber domain is getting weaponised,” he had told reporters. PTI KND KND NB NB
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