Centre to take up SPC programme at the national level: Rajnath Singh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the Centre would replicate the successful Kerala model Student Police Cadet scheme at the national level.

The SPC Programme provides for a comprehensive development of the child, something on which the BJP government at the Centre has been focusing, he said here after inaugurating the annual day celebrations of SPC.

He said the school-based initiative also enables the youth to explore and develop their innate capabilities and empower themselves to resist growth of negative tendencies such as substance abuse, deviant behaviour and anti-establishment violence.

"I strongly believe that the SPC programme should be taken up at the national level and the ministry of Home Affairs will soon implement a pilot project in this regard," he said.

The minister said inculcating values, skills and attributes necessary to function as successful citizens in a fast-changing, globalising, and competitive world of today is critical.

"At the same time, strengthening the good Indian values of universal brotherhood, patriotism, truth and the ability to place the community or the country's interest above that of one's own is very important," he noted.

SPC is also an excellent means of productively channelising the immense energies of the country's youth towards building a strong and disciplined India, he said, adding that the programme would help shift policing to a more people-friendly strategy of crime prevention.

The minister also spent some time to watch the cultural performances put up by the cadets.

State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the SPC scheme would be expanded to 100 more schools this year taking the total number of schools implementing the programme to 500.

Hundreds of SPCs in uniform were present during the programme.