Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan (UBA) 2.0 was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource
Development, in February 2018. UBA 2.0 aims to bring a transformative change in rural development
through the active participation of higher education institutes with rural communities and the
reorientation of communities through research and development. The University Grants Commission (UGC)
set up a Subject Expert Group (SEG) on Curricular Reforms and Educational Institutions Social
Responsibility for achieving the objectives of UBA 2.0 in June 2018.
“The Subject Expert Group (SEG) on Curricular Reforms and Educational Institutions
Social Responsibility will basically work on the reforms in the curriculum at the level of UG and PG to
instil the concept of Rural Community Engagement and Social Responsibility. The endeavour will be to
ensure that community engagement is not seen as a standalone activity and is integrated into the regular
curriculum of the university to ensure the development of the society around the university.” This
document provides the “Guidelines for Fostering Social Responsibility and Community Engagement” of HEIs
in India. It has been developed by the Expert Group through a series of consultations over this period.
It has been revised to include key recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The
experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic and responses by students, faculty and staff of HEIs during the
same have been incorporated in this revision. To achieve the objectives of the socio-economic
development of New India, HEIs can play an important role through active community engagement. This
approach will also contribute to improve the quality of both teaching and research in HEIs in India. As
a growing and large sector in the country, HEIs need to foster social responsibility and community
engagement in their vision and mission itself. It is also important that institutional mechanisms are
developed to adopt a holistic and functional approach to community engagement, encompassing all three
functions of HEIs—teaching, research and service.
Guidelines on “Fostering Social Responsibility & Community Engagement in
Higher Education Institutions in India 2.0 View More