Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur, Kolkata

This centre, started in 1943 in North Kolkata and later moved to Narendrapur, runs a wide range of institutions focused on education, welfare, health, and skill development.

Activities:

1. A residential autonomous degree college offering graduate and postgraduate courses in arts and science subjects, with 672 students.

2. A residential high school (Bengali Medium – class 5 to 10) with 481 students.

3. A residential higher secondary school (English Medium – class 5 to 12) with 726 students.

4. A non-residential primary school with 476 students.

5. A kindergarten with 194 children.

6. Blind Boys’ Academy:

   • A residential higher secondary school (class 1 to class 12), which offers general education as well as training in computer operations, music and crafts, had 154 blind boys, all of whom received substantial financial assistance.

   • A library with 40,210 Braille volumes, 11,022 ink-print volumes, 846 audio books and 4 periodicals.

   • Regional Braille Press: Published 17 new titles and 154 reprints in English, Bengali and Sanskrit, in addition to various textbooks.

   • Teachers’ Training Institute offering BEd (Special Education in Visual Impairment) had 58 students.

   • Industrial Training Institute (ITI) offering training in computer applications.

   • A training-cum-production project, which trained 180 students in mushroom cultivation, agriculture, animal husbandry, spice grinding, etc.

7. An Industrial Training Institute offering the following courses:

   • NCVT-affiliated two-year trades in electrician, fitter, plumber, refrigeration & air conditioning, turner, welder, draughtsman and motor vehicle mechanic (296 students).

   • WBSCTVESD (West Bengal State Council of Technical & Vocational Education and Skill Development) affiliated two-year higher secondary vocational course in Automobile and Electrical trades (81 trainees) and a six-month course in Electrical House Wireman & Motor Winder trade (30 students).

   • MSME & T (Department of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles), Government of WB, funded two certificate courses in Automobile Service Technician cum Driver and Motor Driving (125 students).

8. A commerce institute offering courses in shorthand, typewriting, spoken English, computer operations, AutoCAD, etc in which 785 students were trained.

9. A public library with 75,275 books.

10. Lokasiksha Parishad (an institute for social welfare and integrated rural development), which conducted the following activities through 283 rural youth organizations, 3 project offices and 25 cluster organizations spread in 12 districts of West Bengal:

• Educational activities:

  • Two study centres (Madhyamik and Higher Secondary) of the West Bengal Council of Rabindra Open Schooling with 492 students.

  • A library with 26,819 books and 3 periodicals.

  • A publication unit that publishes magazines, newsletters and audio CDs in English and Bengali.

  • Publication of the Bengali monthly Samaj Siksha (67th year, 2670 subscribers) and books (4 new titles, 6 reprints, total number of titles: 271).

  • Preaching at different places.

  • Study circles.

  • Values education programmes.

• Women and child development activities:

  • A mobile unit for conducting workshops, seminars and programmes for development of character, personality and culture, involving 4405 children, 21,880 community people and 720 volunteers.

  • 125 centres of Early Childhood Education spread over 9 districts (benefited 5281 children) with growth monitoring.

  • Comprehensive education and guidance was provided to 827 children through the Vivekananda Child Development Fund (VCDF) under Child Sponsorship Programme.

  • Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) project with education, immunization, family welfare and healthcare services in 17 municipal wards of North Kolkata through 125 anganwadi centres serving the poor sections of the population. Pre basic education provided to 2064 children every month; meals were served to 4000 children per month. 96 vaccination programmes were held in which 1885 children were vaccinated.

• Animal resource development programme: Youths were trained in dairy and poultry management, and cattle growers were provided with veterinary clinic services and technical guidance.

• Vocational training in various courses ranging from agricultural to industrial trades and training-cum-production activity.

• Farmers’ training programmes:

  • 29 training programmes (trained 725 farmers).

  • 17 awareness generation programmes on save soil and green school for 2660 marginalised local people.

• Joint Forest Management programme:

  • Plantation programme.

  • Early childhood education programme.

  • Entrepreneurship Development Programme through skill training.

  • Empowerment of downtrodden women programme by imparting vocational training to indigent women.

  • The Sundarban Islands Programme.

  • Skill-based training to rural youth.

• Health, Water, Sanitation & Environment:

  • Regular testing of water samples.

  • Training programmes for ASHA employees.

11. Jan Shikshan Sansthan:

    • Conducted vocational training courses.

    • Awareness drives.

    • Workshops, orientation programmes, and other events.

    • Livelihood promotion, and other activities.

12. Agriculture Training Centre (ATC) and State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI): These units conducted the following activities:

    • 129 medium and short-term programmes (4230 trainees).

    • A postgraduate diploma course.

    • Six month in-service KPS training.

    • Training for Agri clinic and Agri business centre.

    • One-year diploma course in Agricultural Extension Service for the input dealers.

    • 12-week certificate course on insecticide management.

    • Skill training programmes (trained 450 rural youths).

    • National Food Security Mission for increasing the production and productivity of oilseeds.

    • Demonstration and trial of advanced farming technologies.

    • Distribution of quality seeds.

    • Soil testing.

13. Activities under the off-campus centre of RKMVERI (deemed university), Belur, which had 287 students during this year:

    • Courses under the Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development (FARD):

      • MSc and PhD in Agricultural Biotechnology (AgBT).

      • MSc and PhD in Medical Biotechnology (MdBT).

      • MSc and PhD in Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD).

      • MSc and PhD in Genetics and Plant Breeding (GPB).

      • MSc and PhD in Agronomy.

      • MSc and PhD in Environment and Disaster Management.

      • One-year diploma in Integrated Agriculture (DIA).

      • One-year PG Diploma in Post Harvest and Food Technology.

    • The faculty took up fifteen ‘Research & Development’ projects funded by the Dept. of Agriculture of Govt. of WB, ICAR, ICSSR, DST and DBT of GOI, IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) of Philippines and CSIRO of Govt. of Australia.

    • A vocational training unit under Lokasiksha Parishad to provide skill development training to youths.

    • A library with 3280 books and 26 periodicals.

    • A Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), named Sasya Shyamala Krishi Vigyan Kendra, is located at Arapanch village in South 24 Parganas district. It aims to develop the socio-economic condition of the farming community by transfer of technology in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and aquaculture. The KVK conducted various training programmes and demonstrations (4969 participants), and engaged itself in the production of seeds, livestock, and bio-products.

14. Vivekananda Social Welfare Centre, meant mainly for the underprivileged living in the slums of Rambagan and Goabagan in northern Kolkata, and Hotor in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, conducts the following activities:

    • A dispensary (treated 2181 patients).

    • A vocational training centre with 184 trainees.

    • A computer training centre.

15. Gohaldanga campus: Situated 150 km away from the main campus, this service centre conducted values education classes and agricultural training programmes.

16. A book bank and educational aid facilities for farmers’ children (benefited 653 rural children).

17. A Medicinal Plant Research and Extension Centre: with over 200 species of medicinal plants grown in an area of 4 acres, it undertook research, training and demonstration activities.

18. A Quality Testing Laboratory for quality assessment of herbal drugs, especially ayurveda, siddha and unani drugs.

19. A 40-bed hospital which treated 713 inpatients and 18,444 outpatients.

20. A dispensary with allopathy, homeopathy and ayurveda sections, and a panchakarma unit (treated 65,210 patients).

21. A mobile medical unit which treated 2088 patients.

22. Two units of Gadadhar Abhyudaya Prakalpa with 121 children.

23. A museum named Environment and Man.

24. Welfare work: Providing food, clothes, blankets, ration kits, hygiene kits, educational kits, and pecuniary, medical and educational aid.

25. Religious activities: Religious discourses, and celebration of the birthdays of the Holy Trio and other religious festivals.