Engg colleges to adopt villages on Kalam’s 1st death anniv

LUCKNOW: Engineering and management college students across the state will have to extend a helping hand to bring about development in rural areas. While colleges will adopt a village each, the students will have to keep it clean. All this will be part of a programme to mark the first death anniversary of late President APJ Abdul Kalam on July 27.

Named after the Bharat Ratna, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University have asked all its 650 engineering colleges to adopt a village each and carry out an extensive cleaning drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan on the day. The university has stressed on tree plantation in and around educational institutions and monitoring growth of the saplings through mobile app. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the university officials held on Monday.

The university has issued a letter to all directors and managements of its college to observe Kalam’s first death anniversary in the right spirit because children were closest to the Missile Man’s heart.

The colleges were also told to undertake innovative projects addressing the problem of rural people. Other events listed for the day are blood donation camp and programme for orphans and underprivileged children.

“The initiative will boost the development of some villages. The students will conduct a socio-economic survey of these villages to prepare a suitable plan for their development in accordance with demands of the people,” said Vinay Pathak, vice chancellor of AKTU.

He said thrust would be given to education, health care and vocational education.

Describing the universities as ‘lighthouses of expertise and technique’, Pathak said institutions could play a pivotal role in the holistic development of villages.

In a befitting tribute to India’s Missile Man, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had named the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU) as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) .