Social Service through NSS

Title of the Practice:

Objectives:

The NSS unit of Shivchhatrapati College, Aurangabad (SCCA) is committed to fostering social responsibility and rural transformation through community service, rural youth, and leadership development, women empowerment, villager’s literacy, environmental sustainability, tree plantations and cleanliness drives under Swacch Bharat Mission.

To achieve rural development by adopting villages
To organize cleanliness drives under the Swaccha Bharat Mission
To create awareness in society for gender issues, female feticide, women empowerment, and safety issues.
To organize literacy programs for villagers
To conduct environmental sustainability activities such as ….
- Tree plantations
- Save environment
- River literacy
- Save soil
- Meri Maati, Mera Desh etc.

To create AIDs awareness in society
To organize and participate in democracy awareness programs
To create social responsibility through visits to orphanages
To organize extensive blood donation camps

The Context:

Social service plays a crucial role in promoting the quality of life in the community. It is required for supporting vulnerable populations, promoting social justice, protecting human rights, enhancing health and well-being, fostering community development, building sustainable support systems, encouraging social responsibility, and promoting mental health and well-being. The NSS unit of Shivchhatrapati College, Aurangabad (SCCA) is committed to fostering social responsibility and has been instrumental in addressing various social service and rural transformation objectives for Community Service, rural development, women empowerment, health and hygiene, awareness and education of villagers, environmental sustainability, tree plantations and cleanliness drives under Swacch Bharat Mission. NSS engages youth as well as social service and rural transformation through its initiatives. The NSS unit of SCCA aims for the holistic development of both volunteers and the communities they serve, fostering a sense of social responsibility and a commitment to social change along with environmental awareness and sustainability.

The Practice:

With the aim for rural transformation and social service, the NSS unit of SCCA works on the following aspects:

Community surveys and assessment of needs through volunteers
Rural development by adoption of villages
Organizing awareness campaigns: Organizing awareness campaigns on socially burning issues for the community and society service.
Cleanliness Drives: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) is a campaign that was launched by the Government of India on 2nd October 2014 for waste management, and the overall improvement of cleanliness and sanitation in rural and urban areas. The mission is effectively implemented by the NSS unit as a sense of social responsibility.
Awareness about health and hygiene: NSS aims to develop a sense of responsibility and empathy towards the community’s health and well-being. Its activities assist in creating awareness in society for health and hygiene practices in rural and urban areas community health and the overall development of society. NSS organizes activities related to health, cleanliness drives, and awareness campaigns on sanitation, and preventive healthcare measures. It helps in educating the community about proper sanitation practices.
Women Empowerment: NSS supports women’s empowerment through awareness on gender equity and equality, health and hygiene, and save daughter programs. It organizes rallies and street plays on gender equity, women’s safety, cyber-crime awareness, women’s rights, women’s health and hygiene, women’s education, female feticide, and building a supportive system.
Building Supportive Communities: NSS organizes rallies and street plays to encourage communities to support and uplift women, fostering a culture of respect, understanding, and collaboration through the creation of awareness.
Environmental sustainability: Volunteers are engaged in tree plantation drives, waste management activities, and cleanliness drives and camps that contribute significantly to environmental sustainability in rural areas.
Youth leadership development: NSS focuses on developing leadership qualities among volunteers. It is essential for the development of leadership skills, teamwork, and community engagement within the community.
Community development activities: The NSS unit undertakes larger community development activities for education, healthcare, and skill development activities.
Blood donation camps: NSS organizes blood donation camps to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of blood, thereby playing a crucial role in the healthcare system of society.
AIDS awareness rallies: NSS has been actively involved in organizing AIDS awareness rallies and campaigns to educate people about the prevention, transmission, and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Villager literacy programs: NSS promotes village literacy programs to increase literacy rates and foster education in rural areas.
Save river and save soil programs: NSS promotes and participates actively in environmental conservation initiatives aimed at saving rivers and protecting soil.
Tree plantation campaigns: NSS conducts tree plantation campaigns as environmental conservation and sustainability efforts.

Evidence of Success:

The success of social service and rural transformation through NSS can be evidenced through various extension and outreach programs conducted.

43 Awards received for extension activities
Best program officer award by the affiliating university
Organized 119 extension activities for the society
28 street plays and awareness programs on women health, hygiene, gender equity and cybercrime awareness issues
20 cleanliness drives
16 Tree planation and environmental sustainability activities
8 Blood donation camps
5 awareness programs on women safety
4 AIDs awareness programs
Visits to orphanages
Literacy of villagers and the society
Better community engagement
Youth leadership development
Better community services to the villagers
Inculcation of social values and social responsibility
Assistance for better environment and sustainability

Problems encountered and resources required:

While the National Service Scheme (NSS) in India plays a crucial role in social service and rural transformation, it encounters various challenges and requires specific resources to effectively address these issues.

Limited financial resources: NSS initiatives often face resource constraints, including funding, manpower, and infrastructure, which can hinder the implementation of projects. The college being self-finance gets no grants from government / government recognized bodies.
Lack of awareness among society

Resources Required:

Financial Resources: Adequate funding is essential for implementing and sustaining NSS activities.
Community Engagement: Building trust and partnerships within communities is crucial. More number of resources for community mobilization and participation, such as workshops and meetings, are required.