A week-long training for programme officers of National Service Scheme (NSS) started at the University of Kashmir on Monday.
In a statement the varsity said that the training-cum-orientation programme has been organsied by the varsity’s NSS under the aegis of Empanelled Training Institute, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
Dean College Development Council Prof G M Sangmi was the chief guest at the inaugural session, where Dean School of Arts, Languages and Literature Prof Adil Amin Kak was a guest of honour and Principal Magistrate Juvenile Justice Board Srinagar Tabassum Qadir Parray was a special guest.
In his presidential address Prof Sangmi said the NSS has assumed a greater role and responsibility to help address various societal problems with its outreach and influence at grassroots.
He said dissemination, communication and applicability were keys to effective outreach under a co-curricular activity like NSS.
“NSS inculcates in students a sense of social responsibility and enables them to become socially-responsible individuals,” he said, appreciating the varsity’s NSS team for organising the training programme to help address a range of critical societal issues, including social evils, disaster management, drug abuse and mental health problems.
In his special address, Dr Kak called for a strong linkage between the NSS and the student community for greater impact and influence of its outreach activities on the ground.
He said students can become enablers of great social change with their active involvement in awareness programmes organised by the NSS. “This training programme should educate and activate NSS officers with this spirit and motive,” he said.
In her special remarks, Tabassum talked about the role of legal aid and legal services authorities in reaching out to the society.
“Such institutions have been established to see if any wrongs are happening in society and to set things right with appropriate remedies. Legal services and authorities are the corporate social responsibility institutions of the judiciary,” she said.
In his welcome address, Programme Coordinator NSS Dr Mussavir Ahmad talked about the philosophy, history, role and responsibilities of the NSS.
“The NSS has a vast scope to address matters of collective societal significance,” he said, underscoring the role played by KU’s NSS during the Covid-19 pandemic, including close association of its 1600 volunteers with 10 district administrations in Kashmir in managing the Covid Centres and ensuring continuity of supply chains therein.