Previous Year Question
What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’?
Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organisations and the Government’s education system and local communities
Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies
Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological power
Developing human capital by allocating special funds for healthcare and education of rural and urban poor, and organising skill-development programmes and vocational training for them
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
The principal objective of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is to connect higher educational institutions with rural communities so that these institutions can use their knowledge and technical capabilities to identify local development problems and develop practical solutions. Therefore, option (b) is correct.
The programme was launched by the then Ministry of Human Resource Development, now the Ministry of Education, on 11 November 2014. The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) serves as its National Coordinating Institute.
The programme’s working mechanism includes:
Adoption of villages by higher educational institutions and conducting baseline surveys of rural households and available resources.
Identification of problems relating to drinking water, sanitation, agriculture, energy, livelihood, health and local infrastructure in consultation with rural communities.
Development of appropriate technologies and sustainable solutions suited to local requirements.
Coordination among government schemes, Panchayats, technical institutions and rural communities.
Connecting students and teachers with actual rural problems and creating a link among education, research and social responsibility.
Its primary objective is not to achieve 100% literacy, merely strengthen scientific research institutions or allocate special funds for the healthcare and education of poor people.