Report on Orientation Workshops for UBA PI Coordinators in Aug 2025

INTRODUCTION

The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), Regional Coordinating Institute (RCI) at VNIT Nagpur, conducted three of one-day Orientation workshops for Participating Institute (PI) Coordinators in August 2025. The program served as vital platforms for capacity building, fostering collaborative networking, and knowledge dissemination on the ground implementation of UBA. Each event brought together eminent speakers, institutional representatives, and NGO partners, collectively advancing the holistic development agenda for rural India in alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and nationwide flagship missions. In this workshop, around 121 participants from 45 higher educational institutes from six different districts of East Vidarbha region participated.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ORIENTATION WORKSHOP:

The objectives of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) Orientation Workshop were to sensitize and equip PI coordinators with a comprehensive understanding of the UBA scheme, its vision, mission, and ground level operational modalities. The workshop aimed to enhance community engagement skills, foster collaborative problem identification, and promote the formulation of actionable rural development interventions aligned with national priorities. The Orientation program was organised to encourage the effective use of technology and local resources, facilitate knowledge sharing, and strengthen the feedback and monitoring mechanisms for sustained impact in the respective adopted villages.

EVENT OVERVIEW

Dr. Bhooshan Rajpathak, RCI Coordinator of East Vidarbha Region, UBA and RCI project fellow, Mr. Amit Bure & their RCI members, conducted three Orientation workshops for PI coordinators at three locations in August 2025 namely: MAFSU Campus, Nagpur, RGCoERT Chandrapur and Karanjekar CoE Sakoli.

• The first workshop was conducted on August 13, 2025 at MAFSU campus, Nagpur. This program featured distinguished guests as speakers namely Dr. Nitin Kurkure (Director, Extension Education, MAFSU Nagpur), Dr. Ratnesh Kumar (Dean SW, VNIT Nagpur), Mr. Sumant Puntambekar (MD, Advanced Engineering & Technologies Pvt Ltd & Social Worker). The organizing team consisted of Dr.
  Report on Orientation Workshops for UBA PI Coordinators in Aug 2025
  Sushma Giripunje, Dr. Sheetal Raut, Dr. Meenal Surawar, Dr. Maithili Paikane & Mrs. Vijaya Deshmukh
• The second workshop was held on August 19, 2025 at Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering, Research and Technology, Chandrapur. The program included Guest speakers such as Shri Vinod Dattatreya (Secretary, Sardar Patel Memorial Society), Mrs. Neeta Tai Kitkaru (Jt. Secretary, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, Vidarbha Region), and Dr. Anil Chitade (Principal, RGCOERT). The program was organised by VNIT RCI members Dr. Ramsha Karampuri, Dr. Nikhil Deep Gupta & Dr. Meenal Surawar.
• The third workshop was conducted on August 25, 2025, at Karanjekar College of Engineering, Sakoli, Bhandara, with guest speakers as Shri Deochand Ji Karanjekar (Member, Wainganga Bahuudeshiya Vikas Sanstha), Shri Bhaskar Ji Rokade (Secretary, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, Vidarbha Region), Dr. Nagendra Dharwal (Principal, Karanjekar College of Engg & Management), Dr. Roshan Gaidhane (Vice Principal). The program was organised by VNIT RCI members- Dr. Puneet Bhavsar & Dr. Vishnu Pratap Singh

UBA SCHEME AND 2025 ROADMAP:

Dr. Bhooshan Rajpathak, delivered a foundational session at all three workshops outlining the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) scheme and its 2025 roadmap. He informed about the initiation of UBA, as a flagship program by IIT Delhi in 2014 where Ministry of Education aimed at transforming the rural development through ground level participatory studies and sustainable interventions. Dr. Rajpathak emphasized the structure of UBA with IIT Delhi, as the National Coordinating Institute (NCI), along with 50 Regional Coordinating Institutes nationwide and numerous Subject Expert Groups supporting the initiative. He highlighted the UBAs active engagement of faculty, students, coordinators, and volunteers on addressing rural realities which is aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. Key national movements including Jal Shakti Abhiyan and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan were highlighted, along with the significance of “Village Adhyan,” an in-depth rural survey process, and the establishment of dedicated UBA Cells to drive action plans mainly focused on sanitation, drinking water, locally relevant innovation, and robust feedback driven refinement of interventions. The roadmap for 2025 envisages expanding the network of Participating Institutes, intensifying student involvement through orientation and Report on Orientation Workshops for UBA PI Coordinators in Aug 2025
social internships with NGOs, strengthening collaborations with district administrations, and implementing scalable solutions tailored to local village challenges.

THE SUCCESS STORIES AND PARTICIPATING INSTITUTE (PI) PRESENTATIONS:

The Success Stories and Participating Institute (PI) presentations were a highlight across all workshop locations, illustrating grassroots interventions that tackled diverse rural challenges. These included innovative agricultural practices such as vaccination drives, sunflower and mushroom farming, honey extraction and soil health card implementation, alongside human health outreach initiatives involving doorstep medical care, health camps, and snakebite awareness. Environmental management efforts featured plastic waste campaigns, water system restorations, and plantation drives, while infrastructure upgrades encompassed water tap installations and bore injections.The technical highlights were GPS mapping, animal-repelling devices and cost-effective refrigeration units done by students. The sessions further highlighted women’s empowerment projects, start-up incubation, decentralized marketing, technology transfer of field devices, crop protection technology and cold storage, while educational initiatives including ‘Krushi Sakhi’ workshops, E-learning modules, These narratives showcased replicable, sustainable solutions generating multiple benefits for health, livelihoods, and ecosystems, often propelled by PIs leadership and active village partnerships. Major highlights was on ‘Kaushalya Vikas Yojana’ for skill development, need for project based technical education, and locally relevant entrepreneurship. All stories were woven around 3Js specifically- Jan (People), Jal (Water) and Jangal (Forest Environment).

NGO AND COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE:
From the NGO and community perspective, speakers like Mr. Sumant Puntambekar, Mrs. Neeta Tai Kitkaru, and Shri Bhaskar Ji Rokade, highlighted the critical role of student volunteer engagement through hands-on projects, documentation, competitions, and creative outreach. They emphasized active village participation through need assessments and iterative project feedback, promoting bottom-up development. Leveraging government schemes like ‘Kaushalya Vikas Yojana’, Report on Orientation Workshops for UBA PI Coordinators in Aug 2025 fostering entrepreneurship in sectors such as chili production and bamboo crafts, and skill-building models were stressed to build local capacities. Their insights expanded awareness around rural development’s multi-faceted scope, including water management, healthcare provision, market linkages, and youth entrepreneurship as a foundation to sustainable community transformation.

RECOMMENDATION & ACTION PLANS:
The workshops concluded with consensus driven recommendations to strengthen and sustain UBA’s impact. Key action points underscored continuous student internships to maintain PI-village engagement, promotion of self-financed entrepreneurship with institutional resource sharing, and channelling domain expertise from agencies like MAFSU to address crop, animal, and water management challenges. The dissemination of best practices through “Mali-type” education programs and broader government scheme awareness was advocated. Additionally, the implementation of project cycle management encompassing assessment, planning, execution, evaluation, and post-occupancy reviews was prioritized, alongside continuation of feedback-driven recognition systems for PIs action plans. This collectively address a mentorship and technology driven pathway to further UBA’s vision of participatory, knowledge led rural progress.

PARALLEL ORIENTATION ACTIVITY:
Recognizing the importance of grassroots involvement, “Engaging Young Changemakers: A Health Conclave” is collaboratively initiated & jointly planned by the National One Health Mission (NOHM), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in collaboration with Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA). To promote active engagement of students, educational institutions, and rural communities, Poster & Video competition was framed as part of the conclave activities through 2 distinct activities as-

• Activity-1-Poster Competition on topics as Zoonotic Diseases, Nutrition and Agriculture Linkages, Animal Husbandry Practices, Climate and Vector Ecology, Clean Environment Solutions
  Report on Orientation Workshops for UBA PI Coordinators in Aug 202
• Activities -2- Video Competition on topic as Eco Walk and Awareness Activities across its network of villages.
  The students from the PIs submitted the poster & videos to the RCI for evaluation where RCI had evaluated & displayed those winning entries on these Orientation programmes at their respective locations. RCI also felicitated winners with trophies & certificates, along with participation certificates to all the PIs attended the workshop.
• The main focus was for the Participating Institutions (PI) under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) to be encouraged to showcase their field-based initiatives that aligned with One Health Initiative. This allowed institutions to present impactful work undertaken in rural communities or through academic research on critical One Health themes.

CONCLUSIONS
This workshop echoed prior sessions stressing PI orientation, NGO led thematic directions, and sharing experiences specific to their region. The program followed a structured agenda starting with registration and high tea, followed by inaugurations, technical sessions, success story presentations by local PIs, and ended with distribution of participation certificates and formal vote of thanks.

The August 2025 series of Orientation workshops achieved their goals of sensitizing, skilling, and mobilizing PI coordinators and student volunteers. Through sharing sessions, field case studies, and the involvement of domain experts and NGOs, these events catalysed locally rooted, sustainable strategies for rural advancement. The lively exchange of ideas and best practices is expected to inspire ongoing innovation and effective policy outreach in ensuing years.

WORKSHOP OUTCOMES:

• Participating Institutes (PIs) developed a clear understanding of the objectives of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) and learned how to design effective work plans for rural development projects
• Newly joined PIs received actionable guidance and support to integrate smoothly into the UBA program framework.
  Report on Orientation Workshops for UBA PI Coordinators in Aug 2025
• The critical role of the Regional Coordinating Institute (RCI) was acknowledged and strengthened, establishing it as a key coordinating and mentoring body in the UBA network.
• The workshops fostered enhanced collaboration and networking among PIs, NGOs, and local administrations, leading to better outreach and sustainable impact
• Student volunteers were equipped with skills and motivation to engage effectively in grassroots interventions, documentation, and feedback mechanisms
• The orientation events reinforced commitment towards participatory, technology enabled, and knowledge driven rural transformation.