Page 5 - Best Practices 2018-19

Best Practice 2

1. TITLE OF THE PRACTICE: SOCIETAL ENGAGEMENT TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

2. Objectives of the Practice:
VIT is making concerted efforts to engage the society with a view to fostering sustainable

development. The objectives of such efforts are:
● To expose the agrarian community to the latest scientific and technological advancements in

the field to improve agriculture productivity.

● To develop technical skills of the youth to improve manpower enhancing employability.
● To afford equal opportunity to the economically backward rural students to access higher

education, through free education, boarding and lodging.
● To inculcate a culture of hygiene and cleanliness among the rural population in consonance

with the government initiatives.
● To make Vellore city greener.

3. The Context:

Vellore has been an under-developed district in terms of education, economy and industrial growth.
This calls for many initiatives in several spheres for boosting prosperity. In the Indian context, rural

development assumes special significance, as about two thirds of the population still lives in villages,

and the backwardness of the rural sector would be a major impediment to the overall progress of the
economy. Therefore, VIT consciously decided to implement various measures to uplift the quality of

life of rural mass in and around Vellore.
India is predominantly an agricultural country, and farming is the main occupation of the rural

population. Moreover, technical developments in the field of agriculture have not percolated down to
the poor. It was therefore felt necessary to create avenues for the distribution of the fruits of

development to the rural population. In this context, VIT has been organizing many programmes

including Agri-Expo (Uzhavar Kalanjiyam) every year.
4. The Practice

VIT, as a higher education institute, has implemented a large number of programmes through its
Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies (CSRD&RS) and student clubs

and chapters. Some of the major programmes are listed below:
I. Support the Advancement of Rural Students (STARS)

Implemented in 2008, this programme aims to provide opportunities for underprivileged rural

students to pursue quality higher education. Each year, sixty-two students from rural Tamil Nadu,
who top the higher secondary examinations of the State Government in their respective districts are