University social responsibility urged as Uttar Pradesh governor calls for stronger village links

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel urged universities to connect with villages as part of social responsibility, citing adopted-village work such as cleanliness drives, plantation, and awareness programmes. She also highlighted support for children of construction labourers, and initiatives to improve higher education quality, alongside strengthening anganwadi centres and enrolment.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Friday called on universities to build stronger links with villages. Patel said higher education institutions should treat this work as part of social responsibility. Patel spoke during a meeting with a 21-member media group from Karnataka and Tripura. The delegation was led by Press Information Bureau officials.

The interaction took place at the Jan Bhavan, earlier known as Raj Bhavan, an official statement said. Patel said universities should work directly with rural people and support local development. Patel also stressed that better outcomes need steady effort from university leadership. Patel said campus initiatives can also help nearby communities.

Uttar Pradesh universities and village outreach

Patel said universities in the state have adopted five villages each. Patel said several activities were being carried out in these villages. These included cleanliness drives, plantation campaigns, and the roll-out of government schemes. Patel also mentioned competitions and public awareness programmes. Patel said these steps were meant to link campuses with everyday rural needs.

Patel said universities were also helping children of labourers at campus construction sites. Patel said clothes, sarees, and books were collected and handed out. Patel linked these actions to wider community support. Patel said such efforts should continue as part of institutional responsibility. Patel said the work benefits families connected to university projects.

Anandiben Patel on higher education quality in Uttar Pradesh

Patel said the growth of universities depends on joint responsibility. Patel said vice-chancellors, registrars, and staff members must act together. Patel pointed to efforts aimed at raising academic standards. Patel listed NAAC Manthan, Shiksha Manthan, and international conferences on world university rankings. Patel said these steps were intended to improve higher education quality.

Patel said the condition of higher education in Uttar Pradesh had improved. Patel said universities were getting better rankings on national and international measures. Patel also spoke about recruitment processes in universities. Patel said appointments were being done with transparency. Patel added that vice-chancellor selections remained fair and without controversy.

Anganwadi enrolment focus and National Education Policy 2020

Patel said more than 56,000 anganwadi centres in the state were strengthened with better resources. Patel stressed full enrolment of all three-year-olds in anganwadis. Patel also said all six-year-olds should be enrolled in Class 1. Patel said early enrolment helps children start schooling on time. Patel linked this to stronger education outcomes.

Patel said coordinated work was needed to meet higher education enrolment targets. Patel referred to the goal of 50 per cent enrolment in higher education. Patel said this needed effective implementation of the National Education Policy 2020. Patel said different education levels must support each other. Patel said planning and delivery should stay aligned with the policy.

Sharing experiences from Gujarat, Patel said door-to-door surveys were used to raise school enrolment. Patel said teachers also distributed books to students there. Patel said some villages had women’s literacy below 35 per cent. Patel said incentives were then used to support girls enrolment. Patel said this was done under the Narmada Bond scheme.

Uttar Pradesh health drive for cervical cancer vaccination

Patel referred to a state health initiative for girls and women. Patel said the government was running a free vaccination campaign to prevent cervical cancer. Patel said around 50,000 girls had been vaccinated so far. Patel presented this as part of wider public welfare efforts. Patel linked health awareness to community development needs.

During the visit, Patel presented books published by the Jan Bhavan to the media representatives. The titles included Hamara Raj Bhavan, Raj Bhavan Band, TB Mukt Bharat, Anganwadi Meri Aatma, Chunautiyan Mujhe Pasand Hai, Lokhit Ke Mukhar Swar and Parivartan Ki Sugandh. The official statement said the books were given to the visiting group.

With inputs from PTI