By Matters India Reporter
Patna: A Jesuit college in Patna has been conferred with “Green Champion” award for its contribution to Swachhta (cleanliness) Education and Practice.
St Xavier’s College of Management and Technology was among 400 educational institutions, including 28 managed by Christians, that received the award from the Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education, which functions under the Department of Higher Education of the federal Ministry of Education.
The awards, given to only one institution per district, were announced recently. Nearly 1,000 higher educational institutions had participated in the ‘One District One Green Champion’ Awards.
Among the Christian institutions, Kerala topped the list with seven followed by Karnataka three.
The Jesuit college was the only awardee in Bihar.
The award acknowledged its effort to carve out a niche as the Green Champion of Bihar state’s Patna district. It has taken initiatives to keep the college campus and its surrounding area neat, clean.
It has also ensured regular sanitization of campus in Covid-19 situation, virtual meetings, thermal screening at the entry gate and disposal of dustbin bags on daily basis.
The college has also adopted ‘Save the Earth, Save the Future ’ as the annual theme for the current academic year.
College principal Jesuit Father T Nishaant said the award was the outcome of concerted efforts carried out by the volunteers of National Services Scheme, an Indian government-sponsored flagship for public service program conducted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India.
Popularly known as NSS, the scheme was launched in 1969, when India celebrated the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi. It aims to develop student’s personality through community service. It is a voluntary association of young people in colleges, universities and at plus 2 level in schools.
The college has always mobilized resources for various pro-environment programs and encouraged students to come to the college on bicycle, the principal pointed out.