New Delhi / Mumbai, September 25, 2021

Two NSS volunteers from Maharashtra have been honoured with the National Service Scheme Awards for the year 2019-20, in recognition of their exemplary and commendable Social Service through NSS. The awards have been presented by the President of India, at a virtual ceremony in New Delhi yesterday (September 24, 2021).

Ms. Sapna Suresh Babar, NSS Volunteer, Smt. L.R.T. College of Commerce, Akola, Maharashtra, voluntarily guided and was engaged in awareness campaigns regarding various Government programmes such as women empowerment, Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, soft skills development, tobacco free campaign and road safety awareness in her adopted village and slum areas of Akola. She participated in AIDS awareness rally at Government Medical College, Akola. She was awarded Best NSS Volunteer of District, University and at State Levels.

Mr. Manoj Vishnu Gunjal, NSS Volunteer, Prof. Ramkrishna More Arts, Commerce & Science College, Akurdi, Pune, Maharashtra actively participated in social sector programmes such as water conservation, green village, organ donation camps, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Bima Yojana, Ujjawala Yojana, adult literacy, tree plantation and blood donation camps. He has also participated in winter camps, Utkarsh Avhan camps for disaster management organised by State NSS Cell. He was also part of the organising committee of the university for tree plantation competing for the Guinness Book of World Records.

More details about Ms. Sapna Suresh Babar and Mr. Manoj Vishnu Gunjal can be found here.

Addressing the award ceremony, the President of India said that the edifice of a human life is often built on the foundation of student life. Although learning is a life-long process, but basic personality development starts during the student life. That is why he considers NSS a visionary scheme through which students get an opportunity to serve the society and country during their school and college days itself.

Addressing the occasion, the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Thakur congratulated the award winners and lauded the NSS volunteers and officials for rendering yeoman’s service during the COVID-19 pandemic. He appreciated their selfless service and contribution to rural development programmes, vaccination drives, blood donation camps and natural disasters among others. The Minister reiterated that the youth are the future of the country and have a crucial role to play in nation building. The Minister urged that more and more youth should come forward and work in rural areas, where they will get the feel of real India and its problems. More details here.

A total of 42 awardees in 3 different categories - University/ +2 Councils, NSS Units and their Programme Officers and NSS Volunteers – received the honours this year.

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PIB Mumbai / DJM

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