About NSS
The National Service Scheme was started to establish a meaningful linkage between the campus and the community. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, had recognized that the country could not progress in a desired direction until the student youth were motivated to work for the upliftment of the villages/community. For Gandhiji the villages, where majority of the population lived, represent the country i.e. India. Therefore, for the national reconstruction and national resurgence it was deemed fit that the students and teachers should be properly sensitized and utilized for strengthening the Indian society as a whole with particular emphasis on rural community. Therefore, student youth, teachers and the community are considered the three basic components of the National Service Scheme.
Objectives
The broad objectives of NSS:- Understand the community in which they work.
- Understand themselves in relation to their community.
- Identify the needs and problems of the community and involve them in problem solving process.
- Develop among themselves a sense of social and civic responsibility.
- Utilize their knowledge in finding practical solution to individual and community problems.
- Develop competence required for group living and sharing of responsibilities.
- Gain skills in mobilizing community participation.
- Acquire leadership qualities and democratic attitude.
- Develop capacity to meet emergencies and natural disasters and
- Practice national integration and social harmony.
Activities
As stated above, NSS volunteers undertake various activities in adopted villages and slums for community service. Duration of these services is 120 hours. The NSS units organise the regular activities as detailed below:
- Orientation of NSS volunteers: To get the NSS volunteers acquainted with the basics of NSS programmes, 20 hours are allocated fo r their orientation through lectures, discussions, field visits and audio-visuals etc.
- Campus Work: The NSS volunteers may be involved in the projects undertaken for the benefit of the institution and students concerned. Such projects cover development of play grounds, laying of gardens, tree plantation in the premises, awareness programmes on drug-abuse, AIDS, population education and other projects. The NSS volunteers may work on campus projects for not exceeding 30 hours in a year.
- The remaining 70 hours will be utilized for community service on the projects in adopted villages/urban slums independently or in collaboration with others in this field, as detailed below:
- Institutional work: The students may be placed with selected voluntary organisations working for the welfare of women, children, aged and disabled outside the campus.
- Rural Project: The rural projects generally include the working of NSS volunteers in adopted villages for eradication of illiteracy, watershed management and wasteland development, agricultural operations, health, nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, mother and child care, family life education, gender justice, development of rural cooperatives, savings drives, construction of rural roads, campaign against social evils etc. © Urban Projects: In addition to rural projects other include adult education, welfare of slum dwellers, training in civil defence, traffic control, setting up first-aid posts, work in hospitals, orphanages, destitute home, environment, population education, drug, AIDS awareness, and income generation projects etc. Professional and technical institutions having NSS may have to design appropriate programmes for the community based on the needs.
- Natural calamities & National Emergencies: The NSS units are expected to utilize the services of NSS volunteers at the time of natural calamities and national emergencies for mobilizing public support and rendering necessary assistance to the authorities in rescue, relief and rehabilitation. In such emergencies and calamities the Programme Officers are expected to take the initiative and offer the services of the NSS units and its volunteers to assist the administration. For further details please see page No.23 of the Manual.
- National Days and Celebrations : The National Service Scheme programmes also include the celebration of National days. The purpose of such a provision is to celebrate such occasions in a befitting manner. List of important days and weeks to be celebrated at institutional level are given in Annexure-I.
Dr. Amit Bage
Faculty Incharge, NSS
NIT Hamirpur,
Himachal Pradesh, PIN 177005, India.
Tel No. : 01972- 254601
Email : abage@nith.ac.in
Fax : +91-1972-223834