Thousands of schoolchildren across the country will soon have a role to play in safeguarding the country’s economic frontiers, thanks to a novel initiative by the Cochin Customs House (CCH).
Opening the prospects of the Customs Cadet Corps (CCC) programme being implemented nationwide, the flagship initiative of CCH has been shortlisted for presentation at the All India Conference of Customs Chief Commissioners to be held in New Delhi from June 16 to 18. K.N. Raghavan, Commissioner of Customs, Kochi, will present a paper on the programme.
“The project was a key area of our discussions with Najeeb Shah, Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, when he visited CCH in April this year. He showed considerable interest in implementing the programme countrywide and suggested that the initiative be presented during the three-day meet,” Mr. Raghavan said.
The project, which was implemented on a pilot basis at the Government Higher School, Mangayil, is now being planned at four more government schools, two each in Paravur and Thripunithura.
A screening of the students of these schools will be conducted in mid-July. “We have decided to limit the programme to government schools, since most students here are from the lower strata of society and may not have access to programmes of similar nature. Further, it was also felt that the location of the project should be close to the office and residential quarters for more effective conduct and supervision,” the Commissioner added.
The objective of CCC is to give cadets a head start by making them practise self-discipline. There will be training sessions led by specialist instructors and Customs Preventive Officers every Saturday on the school premises.
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