Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan launched; students to solve rural problems

NEW DELHI, APRIL 25: With an aim to involve youth in addressing various challenges faced by the society, especially in rural and backward areas the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched the ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan’.

The Union Minister of HRD, Prakash Javadekar while launching the initiative said, “Students should involve local village people at every stage of problem identification and solving on issues relating to health, cleanliness, waste management, plantation, financial inclusion, women and child development etc.”

The Minister said that this unique initiative of HRD Ministry will serve as real 'Bharat Darshan' for students and it is also an opportunity for them to learn about the basic challenges faced by rural people and to bring out practical solutions for their betterment.

The Programme was announced earlier this year with the University Grants Commission inviting applications from the universities and their affiliated colleges across the country to participate in the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, latest by March 15.

The Abhiyan is being encouraged as an initiative to connect the higher education institutions with the local communities to address the development and social challenges of rural India through participatory processes and use of technology.

Javadekar further added that the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is in line with PM @narendramodi 's vision to transform India, in which students from colleges & universities will go to nearby villages to get acquainted with the life of the village people and the problems faced by them in the day to day life.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan was conceptualized by a group of dedicated faculty members of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi working for long in the area of rural development and appropriate technology. The concept was nurtured through wide consultation with the representatives of a number of technical institutions, Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) coordinators, voluntary organizations and government agencies, actively involved in rural development work, during a National workshop held at IIT Delhi in September 2014.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is inspired by the vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an Inclusive India.

The aim is to enable higher education institutions to work with the people of rural India in identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth. It also aims to create a virtuous cycle between society and an inclusive academic system by providing knowledge and practices for emerging professions and to upgrade the capabilities of both the public and the private sectors in responding to the development needs of rural India.