UPES becomes NSS Nodal Centre: What the students stand to gain

UPES has added yet another feather to its cap by becoming the Nodal Centre of National Service Scheme (NSS) for Uttarakhand

Since its inception, UPES has made enormous strides in the higher education landscape. It created yet another milestone in its epochal journey recently when it was chosen to serve as the NSS Nodal Centre for all other private universities/colleges in Uttarakhand. UPES NSS will now be a government-funded NSS unit. UPES has received sanction for an NSS team of 250 student volunteers as a fully government-funded NSS unit, in addition to the already existing two units, each with 100 student volunteers in self-financed mode. Not only this, UPES NSS wing would collaborate with the NSS Regional Directorate, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, for organising two national programs during the celebration of Fit India Movement under the banner of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.

It is only in 2018 that UPES started its association with NSS and within a short span, it has made a mark for itself in the community service schemes and projects of the state.

Talking about how this accomplishment would benefit UPES students, Dr Shailey Singhal, Programme Coordinator, UPES NSS, says, “Being the nodal centre of NSS for all the private universities in Uttarakhand is a big responsibility and simultaneously an opportunity to connect at the national level. I strongly believe that it will provide our students an expanded platform for experiential learning and enrich their leadership skills. They will get a chance to contribute towards societal development, helping in their overall grooming.”

Reflecting on the reasons that actually helped the team to bag this honour, Prof. Amar Shukla, Program Officer, UPES NSS, explains, “We, at UPES, believe that teaching and learning should go beyond classrooms and students should be nurtured to become future leaders and responsible members of the society and nation at large.”

“NSS team at UPES made the most of every opportunity that came their way. The unconditional support from our Vice-Chancellor Dr. Sunil Rai and our registrar Dr. Veena Dutta also encouraged us to aspire higher and deliver,” he adds.

UPES NSS has organised a number of activities during the last two years (2018-2020), including blood donation camps, nukkad nataks on road safety, awareness drives on health and hygiene, banking awareness programs in various villages; teaching in primary schools, tree plantations, etc. The team, comprising faculty members like Dr. Shalini Vohra, Dr. Shilpi Agarwal, Deepesh Kumar, Neeti Goyal, Rehan Sheikh and Shambhavi Kurtkoti (student presidents), mentored the teams to ensure timely execution of the planned activities.

 “Our active contribution helped us in building credibility and faith that eventually led to this big responsibility of nurturing and supporting all the private universities in Uttarakhand and we are indeed looking forward to a lot of good work together,” says Prof Shukla.

Sharing details of their upcoming plans and activities, Prof Ashish Jain, Program Officer, UPES NSS, explains, “The responsibility of being a Nodal Centre of NSS in Uttarakhand is a testimony to the trust in Brand UPES. As NSS aims at fostering social responsibility, inculcating dedication, commitment to solving social problems and developing a personality through community service, we aspire to take forward the legacy and would be extending the desired nurturing and mentoring to NSS units of other private universities.”