About the Committee

Contact Email-Id : nss@asutoshcollege.in

The National Service Scheme (NSS), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India, popularly known as NSS, was launched in Gandhiji’s Birth Centenary Year, 1969, in 37 Universities, involving 40,000 students, with primary focus on the development of personality of students through community service. Today, the NSS has more than 3.2 million student volunteers on its rolls spread over 298 Universities and 42 (+2) Senior Secondary Councils and Directorate of Vocational Education all over the country.

The National Service Scheme (NSS) in Asutosh College had been initiated long before, as early as in 1954. This NSS Unit of Asutosh College participated in the Youth Leadership Training Camp organised by Calcutta University, in October, 1954, at Kamarpukur under the leadership of Swami Lokeswarananda of the Ramakrishna Mission. The report of the Camp at Bawali, 24 Parganas District, conducted by the NSS-Unit, Asutosh College, was highly appreciated and an account published in the Kurukshetra, the official organ of the Community Development Project Administration, Govt. of India. This report was later published in full in the UNESCO publication – Work Camp and Fundamental Education. Most importantly, the NSS Programme Coordinator was invited by the UNESCO to join the four-week training camp in South-East Asia held in September-October, 1956, at Kengeri, near Bangalore. The Asutosh College NSS Unit was also invited by the UNESCO to participate in the UNESCO-associated ‘Youth Enterprise on Fundamental Education Work-Camp’ and take up one of the five Pilot Projects in South East Asia. The NSS Unit and its volunteers were seriously active for several years and have contributed substantially in the field of social welfare related projects.

The activities of the NSS Unit of Asutosh College were again undertaken seriously from 2006. In 2006 a special camp was organised by Dr. Manas Kabi, Assistant Professor in Bengali and NSS Officer, at Bhasa, South 24-Parganas, on “Environmental Awareness”. After that, Dr. Ashis Kumar Das, Assistant Professor in Geology and NSS Officer, took part in the training course at TORC, Narendrapur. Throughout the year the NSS Unit and its volunteers organise several programmes like Blood Donation Camp, "Anti-smoking" and "Anti-Drug" Campaigns, "Women Health Care" and "Child Health Care" camps and seminars on various socio-economic problems. It also participates in and observes important days like National Youth Day, Ambedkar Utsav and the NSS Day.

The youth constitute the most vibrant and constructive force of a nation and play a very important role in its continued economic development and demographic evolution. The NSS Unit of Asutosh College has seriously undertaken the work of orienting the student youth power towards community service as far as possible. The educated youth who are expected to take the reins of administration in future are often found to be unaware of the problems of the village and slum communities and in certain cases are also indifferent towards their needs and problems. Therefore, it is necessary to arouse the social awareness of the students, and to provide them an opportunity to work with the people in the underprivileged areas and expose them to the realities of life while bringing about a change in their social perception. With this idea the NSS Unit with its volunteers has been working for the last five years and will continue to do so in the years to come.

The National Service Scheme (NSS) Unit of Asutosh College was set up long back in October, 1954.Since then it has been functioning over the years as body engaged sensitization of our students towards various types of social works. Like all other outdoor activities, our NSS programmes suffered a setback during the pandemic years. Some activities continued to be undertaken, however on a reduced scale basis.

Our focus now is on the following thrust areas:

A) SELF-DEFENCE PROGRAMMES FOR STUDENTS:This is a continuation of the "Project Sukanya” which had been inaugurated in 2016-17 under the aegis of Kolkata Police. Several batches of students were trained in basic self defence moves. This programme, which did not function during lockdown, is now being revived in conjunction with 360 Degree Sports, the original training agency.

B) In 2019, before the lockdown, the department of English sent three student volunteers to act as writers for visually handicapped students in university examinations. The sending of student Created with PDFBear.com volunteers in future examinations was contemplated but then the entire examination system went online.

We at NSS plan to take up this project again after consultation with the Blind Persons’ Association( 6B, Panchanantala Road, Dhakuria, Kolkata-700029). Our aim is to create a panel of student volunteers who will be there to act as writers/ scribes in future offline examinations.

C) Adoption of Slum area at Bhowanipore, near Asutosh College : We had begun the special programme in 2018-19. Some school going Students were taught biweekly/twice a week by the NSS volunteers along with their coordinator. A local club made their club premises available for this purpose to be done smoothly. This social work is being revived to help the people in the slum area as much as possible.

D) Special Programme for the aged people: Our NSS volunteers and the co-ordinator visited several Old Age Homes in South Kolkata and organized cultural programmes over there for the aged people forgotten by the society. Programmes of this type will be revived now as the lockdown is over.
Our NSS unit in association with the Women Empowerment Cell and the IQAC organised a demonstration-cum-workshop on Self-defence skills on 14 March 2022 at Room no 22 in our Main Building. This was done in conjunction with 360 Degree Sports, which had trained our girl students earlier.
The students, both boys and girls, were most enthusiastic participants. They took the floor with the trainers and many expressed interest in participating in the Basic and Advanced Certificate courses that will follow in due course.
Further details regarding enrolment will be available on the website in due course.