Student Police Cadet programme will be first rolled out for children of government schools: HRD

NEW DELI: The Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme, an initiative that seeks to build a bridge between the police and the larger community through school students, will first be implemented in government schools of the country.

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar made the announcement on Saturday, saying, though the initiative will be first implemented in governments; it will soon be expanded to cover all schools in the country. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched the national programme in Haryana, saying the programme would help in making students responsible citizens through police-student interaction.

The Home Minister said that a sum of Rs 67 crore had been released to the states for implementation of the programme. An amount of Rs 50,000 would be given to each school to be spent on educational aids, training and contingency.

It would be carried out on pilot basis in all states and Union Territories, he said. Singh said that the objective of the programme is to instil values in students and to make them responsible, disciplined, virtuous and future citizens with character, besides starting strong interface between students and police.

This would help in getting assistance from citizens for ensuring peace and public safety in the society. The minister said that feeling of social commitment would be generated among youths which would help them in keeping themselves away from crime and other social evils like drug abuse, alcohol, intolerance and vandalism.

Encouraging children to participate with utmost zeal and dedication in SPC programme, Singh said the children are the future of the nation and the SPC programme would help in making the nation stronger and prosperous.

The SPC programme would also build a strong foundation of harmonious relationship between police and public and help in making peaceful and prosperous society, said the home minister. Apart from this, Police Department could also get assistance in knowing about the expectations of youth from it and can improve its image, he added.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who was also attended the function, said that preference would be given to SPC Cadets in the Haryana Police recruitment drive in future.