About National Service Scheme (NSS)

" NOT ME BUT YOU "

  The NSS Cell of the Vivekanand College, Kolhapur is functioning since introduction of the NSS by the Govt. of India in the University in the year of 1969 and now it has 5 units with 500 volunteers and they are performing from campus to community for social work like health checkup,  tree plantation, HIV-AIDS prevention, campus cleaning, slum/ village cleaning along with survey of the underdeveloped people, voting awareness program, campaign against early marriage, rural development, developing the sports facilities and physical conditions of the slums and underprivileged persons, etc.  Activities of the Vivekanand College, Kolhapur  NSS Cell is fast expanding under the able guidance and active leadership of Honourable Principal  Dr. R. R. Kumbhar,  Registrar Mr. R. B. Jog and Programme officer of NSS Prof. Sandip Patil, Mr. P.R.Bagade, Dr.R.Y.Patil, Dr.A.S.Tapase, Dr.G.S.Ubale, Dr.B.T.Dangat, Dr.S.D.Shinde.   

After independence the University Grants Commission, headed by S. Radhakrishnan, recommended the introduction of voluntary national service in academic institutions. This idea was again considered by the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) at its meeting in January, 1950; after examining the idea and the experiences of other countries in this field, the board recommended that students and teachers should devote time to voluntary manual work. In the draft first Five-Year Plan adopted by the government in 1952, the need for social and labour service by Indian students for one year was stressed. In 1958 Jawaharlal Nehru, in a letter to the chief ministers, considered the idea of social service as a prerequisite for graduation. He directed the Ministry of Education to formulate a suitable scheme for the introduction of national service into academic institutions.

                   Later, the Education Commission (headed by D.S. Kothari from 1964–1966) recommended that students at every stage of education should be associated with some form of social service. n May 1969, a conference of student representatives (of universities and institutions of higher education) convened by the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission also unanimously agreed that a national-service scheme could be an instrument for national integration. The details were soon worked out and the Planning Commission sanctioned an outlay of Rs. five crores for the NSS during the Fourth Five-Year Plan, stipulating that the NSS be a pilot project in select institutions and universities. On 24 September 1969, then-Union Education Minister V.K.R.V. Rao launched the NSS at 37 universities in all states. The scheme has been extended to all states and universities in the country, and also +2-level institutes in many states.