North Zone’s Pre-Republic Day NSS Parade training Camp concluded at Lovely Professional University

Jalandhar, December 6, 2022: Lovely Professional University (LPU) hosted the North Zone NSS Pre-Republic Day Parade training camp of ten-day at its Campus. It was organised by the Regional Directorate of NSS at Chandigarh, under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.

The camp aimed to select the best NSS volunteers of the North Zone to further be a part of the year 2023 Republic Day celebrations at ‘Kartavya Path’ in New Delhi. Nearly 200 NSS volunteers, along with their program officers, from 5 States & 3 UTs across North India, including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, J&K, Chandigarh and Leh & Ladakh participated enthusiastically. During evening sessions, camp activities replicated ‘Mini India’ at LPU Campus each day.

LPU’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Preeti Bajaj chaired the concluding ceremony, where she congratulated each of the NSS volunteers for gaining life-long learning through various activities of the camp. Sharing an encouraging couplet, she advised participants to continue contributing goodness to the country & society.

Such a camp is organized before the combined ‘National Republic Day Camp in New Delhi’ to select NSS volunteers of the country, who are the best in the parade and cultural activities. Five zonal Pre-RD camps are organized for all states and UTs in the country. These provide ample opportunities for the NSS volunteers not only to interact among themselves but also to learn and know the tradition, customs, languages, and cultures of one another.

Zone’s Regional Director Harinder Kaur shared that India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and NSS play a pivotal role in linking students with the nation. Senior Dean Dr Sorabh Lakhanpal suggested students to follow the motto of NSS by always adopting hard work, concentration, alertness, sensibility and leadership. From LPU, Deputy Dean & Head, Division of Youth Affairs, Dr Nitin Bhardwaj co-ordinated for this great national cause.

Various Project Officers accompanying the volunteers shared that the camp at the LPU campus proved a grand success by all means and methods.  It would indeed be a matter of great pride & honour for NSS volunteers of the Zone to further take part in the Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path (formerly known as Rajpath) in New Delhi, and salute the ‘First Citizen of the Country’ and the ‘invited international dignitary’.

Illustrative, the 10-day regional camp included activities like “Shramdan”, yoga, community singing, parade practice, academic lectures, discussions, debate and evening cultural programmes. Excursion trips and hospitality assignments on different days of the camp were also there to involve volunteers.