Progress in NSS

NSS was launched in 1969-the birth centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi in 37 Universities involving 40,000 students with primary focus on the Personality Development of the student volunteers through service to the community. Today, NSS has more than 3.4. million volunteers on its roll spread over 301 Universities and 42 (+2) Senior Secondary Councils and Directorate of Technical Education all over the country. Since its inception more than 3.75 crore students from various institutions of higher learning have been benefitted out of this scheme. The “Regular Activities” and Special Camping Programmes” are the two main components of NSS programmes. During the two year volunteer-ship, the volunteers devote 240 hours under Regular activities. This includes 20 hours of general orientation regarding NSS and the mode of work they have to do in their volunteer-ship. Out of the remaining 220 hours, 30 hours are given for the campus development and rest 190 hours for the services in the community in various areas as per the need and priority. Presently, we have 26,202 villages/urban slums adopted for this purpose. Every volunteer has to attend one special camping programme to become eligible for getting the NSS Certificate issued by the Universities and +2 councils. This residential camp is of 7 days duration and is organized in the community by the NSS units based on specific themes which keep on changing from time to time.NSS, over the years has made outstanding contributions in the field of Mass Literacy, Environment Preservation, Waste Land development, Watershed Management, Health Education, Community Development, Disaster Management, Adolescent Health Development, HIV/AIDs Awareness, Drive against Social evils, Homes for the homeless, Mass forestation drives, Communal and Social Harmony etc. NSS Volunteers have always come to theforefront to extend voluntary service in natural calamities like drought, flood, Tsunami, cyclone and earthquake etc. As part of environment conservation and enrichment project, more than 37, 06,075 saplings were planted throughout the nation by the NSS volunteers under regular activities.