The Student Police Cadet (SPC) project will be extended across another 197 schools during the government’s 100-day programme. This will enhance the programme’s coverage to 1,000 schools in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Inaugurating the 12th SPC Day celebrations through videoconference on Monday, Mr. Vijayan said the programme stood as a proud contribution made by the Kerala Police to the nation. That the project has been emulated by many other States within a short period was a reflection of its wide acceptance. Some other countries have also begun to implement projects on the same lines by incorporating changes that suited local factors.
Lauding the roles played by the cadets during the 2018 floods and the pandemic period, the Chief Minister also stressed their contributions in tackling social evils such as substance abuse and cybercrime.
Elaborating on their efforts, Mr. Vijayan said the cadets were instrumental in setting up kitchen gardens in five lakh houses during lockdown. They had also joined hands to distribute nearly 5,000 televisions, over 500 mobile phones and 200 tablets to students who lacked digital devices to access online classes.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty presided over the function. Additional Chief Secretary, Home, T.J. Jose; State Police Chief Anil Kant; ADGP Manoj Abraham; and Inspector General P. Vijayan also spoke.
Earlier, a group of cadets presented the Chief Minister with a guard of honour at his official residence Cliff House to mark the launch of the anniversary celebrations. They also presented his wife Kamala Vijayan with vegetables that they cultivated. The State Police Chief received salute and hoisted the SPC flag at the State Police Headquarters.
