INTRODUCTION-

NATIONAL SERVICE SCHEME popularly known as NSS was launched in Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth Centenary Year 1969, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Govt. of India. The scheme was launched simultaneously in 37 universities, involving 40,000 students. The program's primary goals include the development of student’s personalities through volunteerism and the encouragement of national unity. NSS works on the premise that it is possible to make slum and village residents aware of their responsibilities and give them the selfassurance to tackle their shared issues with energy, enthusiasm, and a cooperative spirit built on mutual aid and self-reliance. The role of students is limited as programme assistants, enablers, catalysts with larger communities, and activists. As per recommendation of “Savitribai Phule Pune University” we conducted our “National Service Scheme – Winter Camp” at Rajewadi (Tal-Purandar, Dist-Pune). This winter camp was held between 12th to 18th February 2023. The volunteers participated enthusiastically in the camp under the able supervision of Prof. Ms. M. M. Shete and Prof. Dr. Mr. P. M. Kene, Program Officers of NSS along with Prof. Ms. Prachi Dusa under the guidance of Dr. (Mrs.) K. R. Joshi, Principal, P.E.S’s Modern College of Engineering, Pune. A week-long plan for the camp which was fixed is as follows:

The chief guest, Mr. Ramdas Jagtap (Sarpanch, Rajewadi), and other villagers were welcomed by NSS programme officer Prof. Ms. M. M. Shete, Prof. Dr. Mr. P. M. Kene, and NSS volunteers. The Sarpanch of Rajeweadi gave the inaugural speech and welcomed all the NSS volunteers. In his speech, the Sarpanch encouraged all the volunteers to work for the betterment of the village as well as work on themselves through various activities over the course of the 7 days of camp. Respectable reporter Mr. Rajendra Shinde also expressed his best wishes for the camp to all the volunteers. Sarpanch, along with the villagers, assured all sorts of cooperation to make the camp more successful. After the inauguration program, a fun activity was conducted to encourage volunteers and help them bond with their team. All the volunteers were highly enthusiastic for camp. Thus, the first day concluded

In the evening a guest session on the topic "Gender Sensitization" was delivered by speaker Mrs. Samruddhi Panse. The speaker starts the session by making everyone familiar with the term "Gender sensitization." The speaker sensitises individuals regarding gender issues. To sensitise individuals regarding gender issues, the speaker made everyone understand the difference between certain gender related terms. The speaker also talks about how gender bias takes different forms in society. Lastly, the speaker sheds light on the benefits of gender sensitization and ways to teach gender sensitivity and its inclusion. Following this fantastic interactive session, an inter-team advertising competition was held on the same topic of gender sensitization. Each team performed creatively and within the given time constraints. Thus, the second day concluded.

At noon, the volunteers made an announcement of the evening session by visiting the village. They invited the villagers to attend the important evening session.

volunteers attending the guest session on “Women hygiene, Cancer, Menstrual cycle and Diabetes”


The speaker Mrs. Dr. Vaishali Bhosale delivered a lecture on the topic, “Women hygiene, Cancer, Menstrual cycle and Diabetes". Women's hygiene is a significant topic that is covered in this session. The speaker talks about the importance of proper hygiene for women and how illnesses can spread among them because of poor menstrual hygiene. The speaker further discusses the menstrual cycle and various terms associated with it. The speaker then explains "cancer and diabetes." What causes them, and how can they be avoided by making simple changes to our day-to-day lives. This session truly enlightened the villagers along with the volunteers. The session had a good response from the females of the village. All NSS volunteers actively participated in this activity. Along with student’s faculty members also participated enthusiastically.

Personal views on some basic topics were put forward by the students of the school to the volunteers. In the second half of the day Prof. Mr. Dnyaneshwar Kajale sir delivered a lecture on, “Soil health, Soil testing and Agricultural Entrepreneurship”. The speaker begins by analysing the parts of soil. The speaker explains how these elements work together to contribute to soil health and how their absence might result in infertility in the soil.

The speaker also discusses how soil testing is the most crucial technique for controlling fertiliser use and crop production. The speaker initially spoke about the various forms of energy, and he further discussed little about Renewable energy capacity and it has been set to expand 50% between 2019 and 2024, led by solar energy. This is according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s ‘Renewable 2019’ report, which found that solar, wind and hydropower projects are rolling out at their fastest rate in four years. The speaker concludes by discussing the entrepreneurial processes used in agriculture or related industries. The speaker had a nice interaction with NSS volunteers. This session truly enlightened the villagers along with the volunteers.