Learning from rural communities can make academics vibrant: Minister

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Urging students to engage with neighbourhood rural communities, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav on Thursday said that learning from them can make academics vibrant.

"Engage and partner with neighbourhood rural communities. Learn from them and make academic activity vibrant and challenging. Days of going global have gone. We need to go to our villages and address concerns of rural citizens," he said.

He was addressing an event by National Council of Rural Institutes (NCRI) where it announced the upcoming Mahatma Gandhi Abhiyan under which it would encourage universities across the country to promote rural empowerment and entrepreneurship through various courses and modules.

"Technologists have to meet the rural needs," he said.

The Minister emphasised the importance of creating awareness among the youth to understand the problems and challenges plaguing Indian rural ecosystem at grass root level while building their professional capacities and confidence.

"The government is committed to the upgrading of rural skills, preserving the culture and creating a sustainable atmosphere to encourage rural talent, entrepreneurship and technologies in every possible manner."

NCRI Chairman W.G. Prasanna Kumar said that the organisation has devised rural immersion camps for National Service Schemes volunteers for structured learning experience.

"Other major areas of their involvement would be in Village Development Plans, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana and Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan," he said.

The programme will be taken up across the country including in all Universities, IITs, NITs and IIMs.

"The current rural curriculum is being launched as a build-up towards evolving Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Vidya Abhiyan for Indian universities, marking Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Birth Anniversary in 2019," said Kumar.

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