Swachh Bharat Student Internship

The University Grants Commission(UGC), vide their letter dated 23rd March 2018 approved the Swachh Bharat Summer Internship (SBSI) as being eligible for two academic credits, as an optional paper. SBSI was introduced for the first time in May 2018 by the Ministry of Education, the erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), in association with the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation at the National level.

SBSI 2018 received a good response from the students in the affiliated colleges and the on-campus departments of Goa University. The students carried out an impressive amount of Swachhata-related work as part of this internship in the villages of Goa which was appreciated by all. The interns of SBSI 2018 also reported that this internship led to the overall development of their skills, mainly leadership skills and communication skills. During the felicitation function organized on 11th April 2019 to felicitate and award certificates to the SBSI 2018 Interns, the Chief Guest, Smt. Nila Mohanan, IAS, Secretary Education, Goa, and Professor Varun Sahni, the Vice-Chancellor of Goa University, congratulated the interns and appreciated the work carried out by them. Considering the significance and impact of this Internship, the Vice-Chancellor announced that Goa University would continue to offer SBSI as a two-credit course for the PG students and as an additional two-credit course (over and above the minimum credits prescribed for the UG programme) for the UG students at Goa University.

During 2019-20, it was decided that the internship activity will not be restricted to just the Summer Vacation. Hence, the course was renamed Swachh Bharat Student Internship (SBSI). This SBSI portal was designed to monitor the activities of SBSI 2019. The details of all major Swachhata activities carried out during 2019-20 are uploaded on the portal.

The SBSI Interns can carry out their work in any of the villages adopted by their institute or a village close to their residence. SBSI/NSS Coordinators should take necessary steps to ensure maximum participation from students. Induction programs could be held to inculcate Seva-Bhav values in the students. Students can register for SBSI to gain two credits or solely with the intention of doing Seva in the villages and contributing to the Swachhata mission on the institute campus. All students who complete 100 hours qualify for the two credits and to compete for the cash awards. SBSI is to be implemented keeping in mind the spirit behind introducing it which is to lead to the holistic development of the students by having the student Interns and faculty members take up initiatives to apply their domain knowledge for solving some of the problems covered under the five themes of SBSI namely – Sanitation and Hygiene, Waste Management, Water Management, Energy Management, and Greenery.