NSS UP College, Varanasi

4 July, 2023
पौधारोपण दिवस के रूप में मनाया गया।
स्थान_ उदय प्रताप कॉलेज वाराणसी

Historical Background of National Service Scheme (NSS)

Since the beginning of independence, efforts have been made to make students aware of national service. In 1950, the First Education Commission recommended for admission to the students on the basis of feeling for national service. Along with this, on the suggestion of the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a commission was formed under the chairmanship of Dr. C.D. Deshmukh, whose objective was to make the students compulsorily to do national service before entering the undergraduate (UG) classes. Prof. K.G. Saiuddin, who had studied the national service of youth in different countries, said that national service should be started on the basis of volunteers. A similar suggestion was also given by the Chairman of the Education Commission, Dr. D.S. Kothari.
In April 1967, in the meeting of education ministers of various states, it was said that students can participate in NCC (which was there from the beginning) or a new program which was created in the name of National Service Scheme (NSS). Meritorious sportspersons will be free from these schemes and can participate in this another scheme National Sports Organization (NSO) so that proper attention can be paid to the development of sports.
In September 1967, in a conference of Vice-Chancellors, the proposals were welcomed and it was suggested that a special committee of Vice-Chancellors should be formed which could consider it in detail. As a result, Five Crore Rupees were given by the Planning Commission to the NSS in the Fourth Five Year Plan, from which it was started on an experimental basis in selected schools and other educational institutions. After this, in the session 1969-70, the NSS was started by the Ministry of Education in all the UG classes. It was a coincidence that the year 1969, which was also the centenary year of the social worker, Mahatma Gandhi, was launched in this scheme.
The response of the students to the scheme has been overwhelming. In the year 1969, the NSS started with 40,000 students. This number kept increasing every year and at present it has reached 1,97,000 in Uttar Pradesh alone and more than 29 lakh in whole of India.
At present, the scheme has been expanded to all the states and universities of the country. Student-teachers, parents, guardians, officers working in government, universities and colleges and common citizens have now become aware of the need and utility of the NSS. They have begun to understand and analyze the difficulties of the people very well. Thus, the NSS is a concerted effort to make education in line with the needs of the society. Some of the units of NSE have set an example with their excellent work and exemplary conduct, due to which the society has respected them and expressed their faith in them. Youth in the face of famine (1973), Youth against filth and disease (1974-75), “Youth to plant forests and plant trees” (1975), “Youth for economic development” and Youth for Rural Reconstruction (1976-77) Under the subjects and beyond, special camps were organized from the session 2003-04, “Youth for cleanliness”, the result of which has proved beneficial for both the society and the students. Under the social service done by the students of the university, many aspects like adoption of villages for intensive upliftment work, medical, social survey, establishment of medical centers, public immunization program, organized efforts to protect health, adult education program for weaker section of the society. Blood donation, going to the hospital to help the patients, making orphans and physically challenged persons as household members etc. have been included. Volunteers of NSS have done commendable work by helping storm victims in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, during floods in West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, UP and Delhi, during drought in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. . Volunteers of National Government played an active role in providing relief to the gas victims during the gas accident in Bhopal in December, 1984. The students of NSS have also done fruitful work in eradicating social evils and in the campaign for nationally recognized goals like feeling pride in Indianness, freedom, socialism, secularism, national integration and development of scientific outlook.