Nagpur: National Service Scheme (NSS) coordinators can be major agents of social change because they are in direct touch and can influence the development process by virtue of introducing new methods and techniques required for achieving a particular type of development in that area, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) Registrar Puranchandra Meshram said.
Inaugurating the two-day training workshop of NSS coordinators on Sustainable Development Goal and social issues here, Meshram said that development was an uneven activity and would remain so.
This was because the parameters of development were different at different places; these could not be uniform although they could be heterogeneous, he added.
In his address, Tanji Patil, communication expert from UNICEF Mumbai, give figures about MMR (mother mortality rate) and IMR (infant mortality rate) in the state. He lamented that in spite of Maharashtra being a progressive state, MMR was around 20% and IMR around 40%.
In his introductory remarks, Dr. Dharmesh Dhawankar, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, RTMNU, said that elements of sustainability were essential in sustainable development, which the coordinators must establish. Only then could they could speak of social change, Dr. Dhawankar said.
Kanika Mittal, student, conducted the proceedings, while Swapnil Bhogekar, student, proposed a vote of thanks. Dr. Bhau Daydar, NSS Coordinator, RTMNU, Shamaila Siddique, Amit Tiwari, Jui Gadkari and Srishti Parchake, all students, are working hard to make the workshop a success. The workshop is being hosted by the Department of Mass Communication in association with UNICEF and NSS Cell of RTMNU.
