•    National Coordinating Institute IIT Delhi Celebrates Foundation Day

                        (Photo: UBA Foundation Day Celebrations at IIT Delhi)

New Delhi: Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), a flagship national initiative of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, celebrated its Foundation Day on November 11, 2025, marking eleven years of the program’s dedication to transforming rural India through the active participation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

On November 11, 2014, the Ministry of Education formally inaugurated the UBA program, with the then President of India presiding. IIT Delhi has been UBA’s National Coordinating Institute since its launch.  

Under the continued guidance of the Ministry of Education, UBA acts as a bridge between academia and the grassroots, promoting technology transfer, rural entrepreneurship, and policy-linked research. The initiative has catalyzed numerous success stories—from solar microgrids and biogas units to millet-based enterprises and skill training centers—demonstrating the potential of HEIs as engines of inclusive growth.

To mark the UBA Foundation Day, over 1,100 Participating Institutions across India organized a series of programmes attended by more than 20,000 students, faculty, and villagers. The UBA Cells conducted programs including village immersion camps, community awareness drives, rural innovation exhibitions, traditional wisdom workshops, and youth–village dialogues. These activities sensitized students to the realities of rural life and showcased innovative models aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

At the Foundation Day celebrations organised at IIT Delhi, Prof. Virendra Kumar Vijay, UBA National Coordinator; Prof. Pooja Ghosh, RCI (Regional Coordinating Institution) UBA Coordinator of NCR; Prof. Sangeeta Kohli, UBA PI Coordinator of Khurampur village; and Prof. Ankesh Jain, NSS In-charge, addressed the audience and discussed with the students various activities planned in UBA village clusters of IIT Delhi.

Prof. Virendra Kumar Vijay, National Coordinator, UBA, expressed gratitude to the Education Ministry and partner institutions, noting that “the success of UBA lies in connecting hearts before connecting technology—ensuring that India’s youth view villages not as backward spaces, but as living laboratories of innovation, culture, and resilience.”

As UBA enters its twelfth year, it renews its commitment to realizing the ideals of Gram Swaraj and Atmanirbhar Bharat, advancing towards a self-reliant, knowledge-driven, and sustainable rural India through the collective strength of the country’s higher education institutions.

Since its launch in 2014, UBA has grown into a dynamic national movement linking India’s higher education ecosystem with its villages—fostering experiential learning, innovation, and social transformation through knowledge and technology.

In just over a decade, UBA has expanded to a network of 4,600 Participating Institutions (PIs) covering 22,000 villages across all states and union territories. The programme has mobilized over ten lakh students and 25,000 faculty members from universities, IITs, NITs, and colleges nationwide, actively engaging with rural communities to identify challenges and co-create sustainable, locally driven solutions.

The mission’s core philosophy lies in transforming rural India through knowledge and innovation, while nurturing among students a deep sense of social responsibility and respect for India’s traditional wisdom. By integrating classroom learning with grassroots realities, UBA enables youth to become agents of rural change, blending modern science with indigenous practices in agriculture, energy, water management, and health.

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(Know more about Unnat Bharat Abhiyan: https://unnatbharatabhiyan.gov.in/)