The National Service Scheme (NSS)
The National Service Scheme (NSS) is a Central Sector Scheme of the Government of India under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. It was introduced in 1969 with the primary objective of developing the personality and character of the student youth through voluntary community service. ‘Education through Service’ is the main purpose of this scheme. It is one of the largest youth voluntary programmes in the world, with millions of student volunteers participating across the country. The ideological orientation of the NSS is inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. The motto of NSS is "Not Me But You," emphasizing the spirit of selfless service and collective responsibility towards society. An NSS volunteer places the ‘community’ before ‘self’.
Objectives: As per the Manual the broad objectives of NSS are:
- 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 solutions 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.
Our college is a small college located in a rural area. Currently, our college has only one NSS unit under the University of Calcutta, with a total number of 100 students enrolled in our college unit. Our unit has been approved by the university and started from the session 2011-2012. The aims of our college NSS unit are as below:
- Instilling the motto “NOT ME BUT YOU” in volunteers and students.
- Fostering the spirit of selfless service to all human beings in distress, poverty and ignorance.
- Capacity building to identify and study community problems, to plan and to carry out welfare projects as a team.
- A willingness to share the benefits of modern higher education with all people who did not get this benefit.
- Make the society better to live in.
There are other goals as well which are stipulated in the manual of NSS. Keeping in mind these goals, our college unit conducts various service programs, like cleanliness drive, (Swatch Abhiyan) on the college campus and nearby villages, Save Girl Child campaign, tree plantation drive, adult education, blood donation camp, Thalassaemia screening camp, dental check-up camp, community outreach programme, community welfare, awareness programme on saving our local bio-diversity etc. NSS unit also observes Republic Day, Independence Day, and seven-day special camp. We also celebrate major international days to create awareness among students about the significance of those days. We also organize workshops and seminars related to various social issues. Through the diverse range of activities, our NSS unit tries to play a crucial role in promoting social harmony, national integration, and sustainable development in India. All these programmes are conducted under the supervision of a Programme Officer who is supported by the NSS advisory committee.