National Service Scheme - LBS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR WOMEN, POOJAPPURA, TRIVANDRUM

National Service Scheme (NSS) at LBS Institute of Technology for Women (LBSITW), Poojappura, Unit No-161, 528(SFU)

We at LBS Institute of Technology for Women believe that education should not only be limited to the classroom but should also extend to the community. In line with this philosophy, we have two active NSS units that engage in various social initiatives, providing our students with a platform to serve society and develop their leadership skills. The LBS Institute of Technology for Women’s NSS units are a crucial component of our institution and aids in raising social consciousness and responsibility among our students. Students have the chance to take part in a variety of community-building initiatives through our NSS program, including clean-up drives, health screenings, and awareness campaigns for subjects like environmental preservation, gender equality, digital literacy, and education.

To encourage a sense of service among our students, our NSS units also plan a variety of activities like blood donation camps, tree planting drives, and cultural performances. These occasions give our students a platform to give back to society while also giving them a chance to show off their abilities. We recognize the value of creating well-rounded individuals who are not just academically capable but also socially responsible at LBS Institute of Technology for Women. Our NSS program is a testament to our dedication to this idea and offers our students a special chance to change the world.

The institute’s first unit was established in 2001 along with the college and has been operating since. More NSS units were needed to provide more chances for students’ self-development and community service after the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University came into effect in 2015 and the university curriculum was amended. As a result, self-financing unit number 528 was created and has been operating. APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University NSS Cell allocated a new aided unit 331 in 2022, which was later combined with unit 528(SFU). As a result, our college currently has two aided NSS units that are actively working.

Every activity has been conducted and coordinated excellently and effectively. The number of regular activities conducted per year is a clear indication of it. Among these programs, many district-level and state-level events were conducted. Out of these the most memorable one was ‘Rudhirasena’ Annual meetup and award distribution ceremony. Selected NSS volunteers from all engineering colleges across Kerala came to the campus of LBSITW and spent a day on the campus. The program was inaugurated by the honourable MLA of Vattiyoorkavu Sri. V K Prashanth and presided over by Honourable State NSS Officer Sri. Anzer R N.

We currently have 200 volunteers across our two NSS Units, divided equally among them. The 200 volunteers are second- and third-year students. The two units each have separate Program Officers: Prof. Seena K. R., Assistant Professor EEE Department for Unit 331; Prof. Lijin Das S., Assistant Professor CSE Department for Unit 161. Along with them, each unit has two Volunteer Secretaries for guiding the students. Every activity of NSS is governed and patronized by the Principal, who is the head of the institute.

Our volunteers are committed to many other socially relevant activities of their own. The participation and coordination of NSS volunteers in the program ‘ Women’s Health Empowerment Session ‘ conducted on International Women’s Day 2023 in our institution were appreciable, and the program led us to gain the “Asia Book of Records” for the maximum number of women participating in the women’s health empowerment session. We had a project called’ NIRBHAYA ‘, which was intended to provide basic education free of charge for the inmates of orphanages and children’s homes. Another notable regular project is ‘NIRAVU – Pothichoru distribution’, which is an initiative to provide homemade packed lunches for patients of RCC, Trivandrum.

We have received a ‘Gold Level Award’ from Honourable Minister of Higher education Dr. R.Bindu ,for the extra ordinary performance shown by LBS students during Project Ganitham. ‘Project Ganitham’, a programme that aims to teach the fundamentals of mathematics for Classes VIII, IX and X students of government schools jointly organized by Kerala State NSS Cell and Insight for Innovation.

We also received APJAKTU Special appreciation award (2021-22) for organizing the state level Rudhirasena annual Meet up, Award distribution ceremony and state level blood donation camp.

We were able to achieve a special appreciation award for the best unit and the best program officer for the year 2019–2020. Our unit has received an award from Honourable Higher Education Minister Dr. R Bindu for securing second prize in the district level competition ‘SPARSHAM 2021’, a state-level ‘Anti – Drug campaign’.

Many other social and economic projects and surveys have been conducted as regular activities. Other than regular activities, every year we used to conduct a 7-day special camp program. We aspire to continue progressing so that we can produce more notable events in the future.

First NSS unit (No.161) was set up in the institute, along with the establishment of it in the year 2001 and has been being running actively with a government support. In the year 2015, APJKTU has come into force and revised university curriculum necessitated additional NSS units to offer more opportunities for student’s self-development through community service. An additional self-financing unit was started (No.258) and being running since then, meeting the expenses with the enrollment fees collected from volunteers and fund raised by volunteers through different activities. Earlier sixty volunteers could have enrolled in one unit but now as per the rule of NSS KTU, it is reduced to fifty and fund assistance is reduced to nearly seventy five percentage of it as earlier.

As per the latest NSS rules, activity time is second year and third year of B-Tech. Which means one particular student can get enrolled at the beginning of second year and they would be in service for two year i.e. second year and third year. At the end of third year the will be leaving NSS. During this time the activities are broadly classified in to two, which are campus activities and community activities. All these activities are valid only for the enrollment time. All these activities would plan and get executed by volunteer leaders called volunteer secretaries under the control and guidance of NSS Program officers and Principal. Each unit has two volunteer secretaries and four are there for two units.

At present there are two active units in the institute. For two units first year and second year together two hundred active and energetic volunteers would have been there but actual is less than that because few are quitting midway from NSS due to their own reasons. Two units have separate Program officers; they are Prof. Abhilash V Nair, AP, EEE for unit-161 and Prof. Seena K R, AP, EEE for unit-528 and Associate Program officers; they are Sri Jayachandran K, Programmer, CSE for unit-528and Prof. Sreeja U Bhasi, AP, Applied Science for unit-161.Each and every activity of NSS is governed and patron by the Principal as the head of the institute.

Even though the institute is exclusively for girls, it doesn’t signs absents of boys in any of the NSS activities. Each and every activity would be conducted and coordinated in an excellent and effective manner. The no. of regular activities conducted per year is a clear indication of it. Count of regular activities conducted for the academic year 2017-18 is 86, 2018-19 is 64 and 2019-20 is 96 and no other women’s college or not even any other institute will give such figures. Among these programs many district level and state level events were conducted. Out of which the recent memorable one was’ NSS State Annual Meet and award Distribution Ceremony’. Selected NSS volunteers from all Engineering Colleges and Polytechnic colleges across Kerala came to the campus of LBSITW. Spent two days and conducted many camping programs. The Program was inaugurated by Honorable Chief Minister of Kerala, Sri. Pinarai Vijayan and Presided over by Honorable Higher Education Minister of Kerala, Sri K T Jaleel.

Every year we used to conduct NSS special camping program (For seven days) as a part of regular activity. Previous camp conducted in December 2019.’GREEN PPROTOCOLE’ was the camp theme. Nearly sixty students were staying in the campus itself during night and day time programs focused in campus cleaning and community surveys.

Other than regular activities, volunteers are committed to many other socially relevant activities their own. The participation of NSS volunteers in the post flood rehabilitation activities in the year 2017 and 2018 from this institute was really appreciable. The NSS LBSITW has another project called ‘NIRBHAYA’, which is intended to provide basic education absolutely free of cost for the inmates of orphanages and children’s homes and it has been running for the last two years. Another regular project of NSS LBS ITW is ‘POTHICHORU’. It is an initiative to provide homemade packet lunch for the poor patients of RCC Trivandrum. Many other social and economic survey projects have conducted as per government instructions and self-designed.