New Delhi, Jan 3: Soil collected from various islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago by NCC cadets during the ‘Param Vir Sagar Yatra’ sailing expedition will be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremonial urn at the NCC PM Rally in Delhi Cantonment on January 28, a senior official said on Saturday.
The annual PM Rally, usually held on January 27 after Republic Day, has been rescheduled to January 28 this year due to “some contingency,” informed Lt Gen Virendra Vats, Director General of NCC, while addressing reporters at the Republic Day Camp site in Delhi Cantonment.
During the event, Prime Minister Modi will also flag in five NCC-led initiatives — a running-cum-sailing expedition to Lakshadweep and three long-distance cyclothons — marking their symbolic completion. These include the Veer Birsa Munda Cyclothon from Ranchi to Delhi, the Pune–Delhi Bajirao I Cyclothon, and the Lachit Borphukan Cyclothon from Guwahati to Jorhat.
As part of the Param Vir Sagar Yatra, cadets visited several islands named after Param Vir Chakra awardees, collected soil samples, and paid tribute to the 21 brave soldiers honoured with India’s highest wartime gallantry award — 14 of them posthumously. The expedition sought to deepen cadets’ understanding of India’s island territories and commemorate the valour of the nation’s heroes.
In January 2023, Prime Minister Modi had named 21 uninhabited islands in the Andaman & Nicobar group after the Param Vir Chakra awardees.
Around 2,406 cadets, including 898 girls from across the country, are participating in the NCC Republic Day Camp 2026, which began on December 30 at the Cariappa Parade Ground. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan will formally inaugurate the camp on Monday.
During the month-long event, the cadets will interact with senior military officials — including the Chief of Defence Staff, the three service chiefs, and astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission.
