4-Feb-2022: National Service Scheme (NSS) allocation increases by 97% in Budget 2022-23

With a view to achieving the goal to develop the personality and leadership qualities of the youth and to engage them in community service for nation building activities across the country, Government of India has decided to continue the NSS over the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26) at an outlay of Rs. 1,627 Crore.

The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur thanked the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for approving the continuation of NSS. The Minister stated, “On behalf of the Ministry and all stakeholders, I express our deep gratitude to the Prime Minister for extending the tenure of NSS for another five years as well as bringing it into prominence by increasing its budgetary allocation by 97% in Budget 2022-23.

The NSS is an ongoing Central Sector Scheme of Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.  The Scheme was launched in the year 1969 with the primary objective of developing the personality and character of the student youth through voluntary community service. The ideological orientation of the NSS is inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. Very appropriately, the motto of NSS is “NOT ME, BUT YOU “in Hindi “स्वयं से पहले आप”.

NSS is implemented in Senior Secondary Schools, Colleges and Universities in all States and UTs across the country. The design of the NSS envisages that each educational institution covered under the Scheme has at least one NSS unit comprising of normally 100 student volunteers, led by a teacher designated as Programme Officer (PO). Each NSS unit adopts a village or slum for taking up its activities. An NSS volunteer is required to undertake the following work/activities:

Regular NSS Activity: Each NSS volunteer is required to put in minimum 120 hours of community service per year for two years, i.e., total 240 hours. This work is under taken in villages/ slums adopted by NSS unit or school/college campuses, usually after study hours or during weekends.

Special Camping Programme: Each NSS unit organizes a Special Camp of 7days’ duration in adopted villages or urban slums during vacations with some specific projects by involving the local communities. Each volunteer is required to participate in a Special Camp once during the 2-year period.

Briefly, the NSS volunteers work on issues of social relevance, which keep evolving in response to the needs of the community, through regular and special camping activities. Such issues include (i) literacy and education, (ii) health, family welfare and nutrition, (iii) environment conservation, (iv) social service programmes, (v) programmes for empowerment of women, (vi) programmes connected with economic development activities, (vii) rescue and relief during calamities, etc.

Some other programmes of NSS are- (i) National Integration Camp (NIC) (ii) National Adventure Camps Program (iii) Pre- Republic Day Camps (iv) Republic Day Parade Camp (v) National North East  Festivals (vi) National Service Scheme Award.

2-Feb-2022: Government approves continuation of Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations with an outlay of Rs. 1575 crore

Strengthening its support for sports in India, the Union Government has approved continuation of Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs) with an outlay of Rs. 1575 crore for XV Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26). The Scheme of Assistance to NSFs is the flagship Central Sector Scheme and the main source of funding for preparation of national teams for all major national and international competitions, including the Olympic Games, Para-Olympics, Asian Games, Para Asian Games, Commonwealth Games (CWG) and other major international tournaments.

Shri Anurag Thakur, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports expressed his heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for according approval for continuation of Scheme of Assistance to NSFs. Shri Thakur stated that this will give a big boost to the country's quest for achieving a place of pride in sporting arena.

The outlay in the cycle will therefore be extended to NSFs to train and field national teams for national and international competitions between 2022 and 2026, prime among them, the Commonwealth and Asian Games of 2022, Olympics and Paralympics 2024 and Asian and Commonwealth Games in 2026.

The financial support extended by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through this Scheme will be used by NSFs to conduct national coaching camps, procure sports equipment and consumables, provide training of international standards to athletes, conduct data analysis on the performance of athletes, provide sports science support, provide recovery and rehabilitation to athletes with injury, engage foreign coaches and high performance directors, as well as to set up a professional administrative system within the NSFs.

Besides providing support to elite athletes through the NSFs, the scheme also sets out to improve the bench strength of Indian athletes through a strong talent identification and development system so as to achieve sporting excellence and drive India towards becoming a sporting power house.

The support to NSFs through the Scheme has yielded superlative results in the past few years.  India won 7 medals in Tokyo Olympics 2020, in 6 separate disciplines, the highest Olympic medal tally for the country. In Tokyo Paralympics 2020, India won 19 medals, surpassing 12 medals won by the country in all previous Paralympics put together.  India got 66 medals in CWG, 2018, which was the best performance at an overseas CWG, 69 medals in Asian Games 2018, which was India’s highest ever tally at Asian Games, 72 medals in Para Asian Games 2018, which was India’s highest ever tally at Asian Para Games and 13 medals in Youth Olympics Games 2018, which was India’s highest ever tally at Youth Olympic Games.