Introduction of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA):
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship program launched by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India in 2014 with the objective of connecting higher educational institutions (HEIs) with rural communities to address the developmental challenges of India through participatory processes and technology transfer. The program aims to leverage the knowledge, expertise, and resources of academic institutions to promote sustainable development in rural areas.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is an initiative towards provision and prosperity of rural India by involving higher educational institutions for development and transformation.
The objective of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is to develop adequate networking and necessary mechanisms among the educational institutions and implementing agencies and to participate in the all round development of villages by using more environment friendly technology and creating adequate employment opportunities for efficient implementation of Unnat Bharat programme.
Objectives:
- Identify Developmental Challenges: To identify and address the basic developmental challenges faced by rural India.
- Develop Innovative Solutions: To engage faculty, students, and researchers from higher education institutions to develop innovative solutions for rural problems.
- Promote Sustainable Growth: To create an environment that supports sustainable growth and self-sufficiency in villages.
- Foster Social Responsibility: To inculcate a sense of social responsibility and commitment among students and academic communities.
The important areas in UBA for the all-round development of villages which require development in an integrated manner. The two important areas are as follows:
- Health
- Education and culture
- Values and perception development
- Skills and entrepreneurship
- Physical (economic) development which includes :-
- Centralized agriculture and cow-based economy
- Water management and promotion
- Renewable energy sources
- Artisan and rural industries
- Development and use of local natural resources
- Basic facility
- E-Support (IT-Enablement)
Key Features:
- Adoption of Villages: Participating institutions adopt villages and work on various aspects of rural development.
- Technology Transfer: Facilitating the transfer of appropriate technologies for sustainable rural development.
- Capacity Building: Training and empowering the local population to become self-reliant.
- Action-Oriented Learning: Encouraging students to engage in community-based learning and problem-solving.
Implementation:
- Coordinated by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi as the national coordinating institution.
- Participating institutions include IITs, NITs, IIITs, universities, and other HEIs.
- Institutions work in collaboration with local communities, panchayats, and other stakeholders to address village-specific needs.
Impact:
- Strengthened linkages between academia and rural society.
- Empowerment of rural communities through sustainable solutions.
- Enhanced knowledge and skills of students by engaging them in real-life societal challenges.
- Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is a significant initiative to harness the intellectual resources of academic institutions to bring about holistic development in rural India, thus contributing to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Villages adopted under UBA
- Saivan Tal. Vasai, District Palghar
- Usgaon Tal. Vasai, District Palghar
- Kalmbhon Tal. Vasai, District Palghar
- Medhe Tal. Vasai, District Palghar
- Wadhghar Tal. Vasai, District Palghar