Organized by
UBA-SRMIST & Regional Coordinating Institution (RCI)–UBA IIT Madras
Venue: T.P. Ganesan Auditorium, Mini Hall, Kattankulathur Date: February 17, 2026
The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) Cell of SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), in coordination with the Regional Coordinating Institution (RCI), UBA Indian Institute of Technology Madras, organised a one-day programme on “Peer Institutes Orientation Programme on “Best Practices, Learnings and Demonstrations” at the SRMIST, Kattankulathur on February 17, 2026. This programme aimed at sharing field-level experiences, successful implementation models and sustainable rural development initiatives under the UBA scheme of the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
Dr. V. Thirumurugan, Associate Director (Campus Life) and Nodal Officer, UBA- SRMIST, delivered the welcome address and briefed the gathering on the significance of the programme.
Prof. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Vice-Chancellor, SRMIST in his presidential address emphasised that higher educational institutions should act as catalysts for rural transformation through knowledge transfer and sustained community engagement. He stated that faculty members and students have to regularly visit adopted villages, interact with residents, and implement need-based development initiatives. He underscored the importance of identifying the strengths of each village and creating a sustainable development framework that ensures continuity rather than one-time interventions.
Prof. Sudarsan Padmanabhan, Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, and Coordinator, RCI–UBA, delivered the inaugural address. He envisioned that the Gandhian principles on Nation development were closely knitted with rural development and that made Government of India to introduce the UBA vision aligning to it. He added that national development is linked to human development indices and inclusive rural growth. He highlighted the need for a bottom-up approach to governance and called for a paradigm shift in development planning from rural to urban areas, in line with the vision of Mahatma Gandhi. He added that the convergence of Higher Education Institutions and rural development efforts under UBA 3.0 would be a significant step forward.
Tmt. Hima Bindu, Project Coordinator, UBA, IIT Madras, elaborated on the objectives and implementation strategies of UBA and encouraged participating institutions to adopt structured and measurable development practices in their adopted villages. She elaborated about the UBA stakeholders and their role in implementation of development initiatives through SDGs. She emphasized the importance of the Grama Sabha participation as the nodal point in interlinking the village and the PIs. An interactive session with representatives of PIs made them a clarity about the way forward for UBA 3.0.
Dr. Samuel Jacob, Adopted Village Coordinator, UBA-SRMIST, presented the SRMIST’s initiatives, field-level experiences, successful implementation models and sustainable rural development activities in sanitation, health awareness, skill development, sustainable agriculture and waste management across its adopted villages. Feedback from beneficiaries such as Vendhar Scholarship Student graduate, Head Master (Anjur Higher Secondary School), and representatives from women self-help group (Ms. Yasodha and Ms. Tulasi, Inaindha Kaigal Self-help Group, Nattarasanpattu (an UBA adopted village) made the SRMIST’s contribution as impactful.
The post-lunch sessions focused on entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods. Mrs. Vasudha Binjani, Miracle Enzymes, Chennai, spoke on business opportunities through bioenzyme production from waste, while Dr. L. Ramazeame of SRM College of Agricultural Sciences delivered a talk on beekeeping as a viable rural enterprise.
Certificates were distributed to participants during the valedictory session. The programme concluded with a feedback session and witnessed participation from UBA nodal officers, faculty members and village representatives from peer institutions.