KIIT NSS Bureau Organizes National Conference on ‘Role of NSS in Covid-19’
National Service Scheme Bureau of KIIT Deemed to be University organized a National Virtual Conference on “Role of NSS in COVID-19” (RNC-2020) and Pre-Conference Virtual Workshop on “Challenges in COVID-19 for NSS Volunteers” on September 19 – 20, 2020.
Inaugurating the event, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS said that the theme of the conference is very relevant at this time and aligns with the mission of KIIT & KISS. Mr. Kamal Kumar Kar, Assistant Programme Advisor, NSS, Delhi Directorate briefly discussed the responsibilities of NSS and the Government initiatives.
Emphasizing the role of an NSS volunteer, Mrs. Surekha Sundari Swain, SLO-cum-Deputy Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Govt. Odisha inspired the NSS PO’s and volunteers to run NSS smoothly in these difficult times. This conference assumes added importance in this pandemic situation, she added. Mr. S. Saida Naik, Regional Director, NSS Directorate, Bhubaneswar talked about the challenges faced by the NSS volunteers and how to deal with them.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Hrushikesha Mohanty, Vice-Chancellor, KIIT stated that the meet will help in the exchange of knowledge and ideas to deal with the current pandemic situation enabling us to move towards our vision for the better society. Dr. Sasmita Samanta, Pro-Vice Chancellor applauded the initiative, informing that NSS is an integral part of KIIT. Prof. J. R. Mohanty, Registrar congratulated the organizers for successfully organizing the event during this pandemic period.
Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries and participants, Dr. Kajal Parashar, Programme Coordinator, KIIT NSS Bureau & Convener, RNC 2020 conveyed the message of the Founder, KIIT & KISS encouraging the NSS volunteers to work wholeheartedly for the betterment of society, particularly in the present pandemic situation. Dr. P. K. Rout, Programme Officer, KIIT School of Law proposed the vote of thanks.
The two-day conference featured six sessions dedicated to the prime theme of the meet. The first-day session on “Overview of NSS & Atamnirbhar Bharat” was chaired by Dr. C. K. Panigrahi and moderated by Prof. Snehalika Gupta and Prof. Satyadeep Das. Dr. Surekha Sundari Swain, SNO-cum-Dy. Secretary, Higher Education, Govt. of Odisha; Shri K. K. Gupta, First & Founder Volunteer, NSS; and Dr. Sakir Ahamed, Asst. Professor, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, KIMS participated in the deliberations.
The second session on “NSS & Covid -19” was chaired by Dr. S. K. S. Parashar and moderated by Prof. Snehalika Gupta and Prof. Sruti S. Singh. Dr. Chinmaya Kar, Chairman & MD, MM Galaxy India and Shri Madhusudan Das, National Trustee NYP India participated in the session.
The session on “FIT India” explored and suggested ways to stay fit in Covid times. It was chaired by Dr. Anita Pati and moderated by Dr. Prabhat K. Rout and Prof. Ramakant Parida. Dr. Sucheta Priyabadini, Director-Student Counselling, KIIT and Dr. B. B. Kar, Dean, School of Yoga inspired the participants to maintain their peak fitness.
The fourth session on “Young NSS Volunteers Forum” was chaired by Dr. Bhavya Bhushan and moderated by Prof. Ramakant Parida and Dr. Prabhat K. Rout. Prof. Jinia Kundu, Program Officer, KIIT NSS Bureau and Shri Satyajit Das, Program Officer, Banki College (Autonomous) participated in the deliberations. Seven NSS volunteers shared their journey and work at the session: Ms. Dibyani Behera (North Odisha University); Sri Prabhanjan Mandal (North Odisha University); Ms. Dileswari Mehar (Bijepur); Sri Ramnwesh Kumar (KIIT); Sri Vishwajeet Kumar Jha (KIIT); Ms. Amrita Mishra (KIIT); and Sri Shreyaan Bhattacharyya (KIIT).
The second-day session on “Society & Literature, Ek Bharat Sresta Bharat & Jal Sakhti” was chaired by Dr. Susant Kumar Tripathy and moderated by Prof. Sital Das and Prof. Satya Samal. Prof. N. D. R. Chandra, Prof. B K Patel, Dr. Atul H. Salunke and Mr. Sunil Basumatary delivered talks on ‘NSS volunteers reinvigorating life, society and literature in the era Covid-19’, ‘NSS teamwork in Chhattisgarh’, ‘Role of NSS in Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ and ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ respectively.
The last session on “De-Addiction and Health” was chaired by Dr. Shyam Sunder Behura and moderated by Prof. Deepak Singhal and Prof. Jinia Kundu. Md. Imran Ali, Co-Founder & MD Salamm Jeevan; Dr. Kunal Oswal from Tata Trust Cancer Care; Dr. Pranoti Hiralkar from Odisha Cancer Care Foundation; and Dr. Dinesh Chahall, Coordinator & YRS, Central University of Haryana were the key speakers.
Dr. C. K. Panigrahi, Director, KIIT School of Electrical Engineering and Mr. Sunil Basumatary, Fmr. Head of Office of NSS Directorate, New Delhi encouraged the young NSS volunteers by their motivational talks at the valedictory session of the conference on September 20. Dr. N. D. R. Chandra, Former Vice-Chancellor of Bastar University, Chhattisgarh shared his knowledge and his conference experience in brief.
Dr. Sucheta Priyabadini expressed her gratitude towards the participants from both KIIT and outside. Mr. Satyadeep Das, Programme Officer declared the names of the RNC-2020 Best Volunteers Awardees. The winners also shared their experiences and journey of their NSS career.
The brief report on RNC-2020 was presented by Ms. Jinia Kundu, Programme Officer, KIIT NSS Bureau. Among others, Dr. Sushanta Tripathy, Professor of School of Mechanical Engineering and Dr. Kajal Parashar also spoke on the occasion. The valedictory session was hosted by Miss Amrita Mishra, a student volunteer of the KIIT NSS Bureau.