Under the aegis of Rukmini Educational Charitable Trust (RECT), REVA University has an array of University Social Responsibilities taken up year after year with various schools. The Trust is driven by the larger goal of nurturing students who are in pursuit of quality education. Some of the USR activities include Abhivriddhi, Jagruti, REVA Vanamahotsava and Education on Wheels. These activities allow students to improve their understanding of sustainable development goals and sensitise them to community needs and play an important role in understanding the importance of giving back to society.
The second phase of Jagruti –towards Global Warming as a part of the University’s Social responsibility saw the culmination of it’s year long activities on the 19th of June, 2020. The programme was held at the REVA Rangasthala with strict observance of social distancing. On the day the souvenir which chronicled the various activities conducted under the second phase of the campaign was released by the Chancellor, Dr. P. Shyama Raju.
Jagruti
The brain child of Dr. P. Shyama Raju, Honourable Chancellor, REVA University, Jagruti is a cause that is close to everyone’s heart at REVA. 2018 saw the conception of RELA- REVA Electoral Literacy Association, an organized effort to spread a sense of civic responsibility towards voting among citizens and thereby inducing their democratic sensibility. Thus was born Jagruti, its first programme. The main focus currently is the constituency of Byatarayanapura in Bengaluru.
An awakening! A rise to action, a quiet revolution that could only be fostered amidst a growing intellectual community like REVA. In spite of an energetic cosmopolitan population, Bengaluru has been moving backward in terms of participation in the democratic machinery of the country.
The overall aggregate voting enrollment and participation from urban India has been rather poor, as observed through the country. This disappointment strongly points towards the eminent failure and loss of faith amongst this populace in the ideals of democracy, so arduously built by the freedom struggle and the architects of our constitution. A large democracy naturally translates to a large voting population due to its sheer size. However, our country here needs a step up, not just in active involvement but also in being equipped with the right knowledge. This precipitation needs a boost. REVA Electoral Literacy Association (RELA) is a convinced endeavor by the University, faculty and students, to conscientiously evoke in citizens the awareness, knowledge of and need for ideally functioning democratic processes. The essence and vision of RELA is aligned with empowerment of the citizens for better participation in the electoral democracy in voluntarily registering and ethically voting in every election.
REVA has been conducting interactive activities in the University campus to impart electoral education to students. The students have actively immersed themselves in a consolidated foregrounding required for this enterprising and enriching task. In order to inform and expose students to Indian General Elections, RELA had organized and ensured their participation in debates, essay writing competitions, Nirvachitra- a film show, celebration of National Voter’s Day, Democracy Wall and elucidation of the electoral history of the Country.
The campaign was inaugurated on 16th November 2018. Sri Sanjiv Kumar, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka was the Chief Guest of this event. Sri Sreenivasachary, IAS (Retd.,), State Election Commission was the Guest of Honour of this event and Dr. P. Shyama Raju, Hon’ble Chancellor, REVA University presided over the event. This event witnessed the oath taking ritual for all at REVA to uphold independent India’s democratic values. The Guests and other dignitaries shared their thoughts on the growing need for democratic values to come into play for the betterment of our society. Student volunteers also exhibited a play which proclaimed the importance of voting.
As part of this initiative, REVA has adopted 10 government schools located around Bengaluru North (Yelahanka and Devanahalli constituencies) in the fringes of the city.
The pilot of ‘Abhivriddhi’ was launched in August 2020 and the core committee members of Abhivriddhi have conducted several in-depth surveys over the last five months to ascertain the requirements, challenges, and other details of the adopted schools.
‘Abhivriddhi’ is launched with a mission to aid quality education at government schools and aims to overhaul the learning experience at these schools. Currently, around 1000 students are learning in these schools, but due to the closure of schools as a Covid-19 protocol, have remained home during the pandemic.
Abhivriddhi
To transform this chain of government schools as ‘Model Schools’
REVA University has categorized its developmental activities into three categories – Akshara, Ashraya, and Adarsha - 3A MANTRA– aimed to upgrade the quality of education, civil infrastructure, and the overall education quality and disciple of a student. The CSR initiative will be taken up under different phases, spanned over the next few years.
In August 2021, REVA University launched ‘REVA Vanamahotsava’, a novel initiative of REVA University to plant 15,000 saplings in the state. Under this Initiative, the institution launched the ‘One Student, One Tree’ campaign, which aims to build a clean and green environment with the active involvement of students. The initiative, with support from students and faculty, is REVA’s commitment to environmental conservation and the reduction of global warming. Additionally, the AICTE recommends that every institute conduct should plantation drive.
As part of REVA University's "One Student, One Tree" programme, Vanamahotsava aims to organise a tree-planting drive in schools and villages. Its goal is to have each REVA University student plant a sapling. For at least the first two years following planting, students should take care of these plants.
The REVA Vanamahotsava, which was started with a goal of planting 15,000 saplings in 2021–2022 and one seedling for every new student admitted to REVA University starting in AY 2022–2023, has advanced the social effort by planting more than 16000 saplings to date.
Education on Wheels (EOW) is an integrated approach to improving the quality of education for underprivileged children. It seeks to ensure pre-primary and primary education for all children up to the age of 14 leading to their overall development.
Education on Wheels, a student outreach initiative was launched to provide immersive learning experiences to students of community schools in rural areas.
The University takes modern education to the doorsteps of the students through a mobile lab with a 15-seater facility, equipped with learning infrastructure like a projector, computers, wi-fi connection, and SMART TV, among other facilities.
The lab also introduces students to basic and advanced learning in emerging domains like block coding, designing, and other areas. It envisions providing comprehensive skills to students through the lab and fostering the holistic development of students.
REVA University believes quality education is the right of every child, and to empower them with modern education, ‘Education on Wheels’ has been launched. Through this initiative, students will gain free access to digital learning and will be trained in certification programmes.
REVA Krushi Tech Project, an embodied vision of Chancellor Dr. P. Shyama Raju, is portrayed as the promotion of education and ecological sustenance. The project, which encourages green life and sustainable agriculture and fosters a culture of self-reliance in food security, aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). RKTP was inaugurated at REVA University as part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations. The Chancellor Dr. P. Shyama Raju officially launched the Grow Bag planting and vertical modular agritecture on the campus.
Through RKTP, REVA University promotes hands-on experiential learning, research in sustainable agriculture, and community engagement in food security measures. This University project aims to bridge the knowledge gaps serve as an educative tool and establish an interdisciplinary initiative that fosters innovative learning experiences in agriculture advances and connects with the local community.
REVA University recognizes the importance of growing fresh, healthy produce involving the students’ community. To cater to this need and contribute to the larger goal of sustainability, REVA University has organised a series of activities under the project. Chancellor Dr. P. Shyama Raju officially launched the Grow Bag planting and vertical modular agritecture on the campus.
Grow Bag Cultivation
On the launch day, around 300 grow bags were planted as part of REVA University’s commitment towards building a greener and sustainable world. Besides inspiring everyone to grow their fresh vegetables in grow bags, it also helps to learn about sustainable agriculture, share knowledge and enjoy the benefits of home-grown produce. The grow bag vegetable cultivation approach is designed to provide an ideal environment for plant growth, and it offers several benefits like space efficiency, water conservation, and portability. The grow bags of about 300 seedlings of potatoes, tomato, capsicum, chillies, and brinjal are planted by the students and will be individually allotted for their peer learning and nurturing.
Vertical gardening or Vertical Agritecture
Vertical gardening or Vertical Agritecture takes advantage of vertical spaces, transforming walls, fences, and even indoor areas into lush green gardens. The vertical modular agritecture is a wall-mounted structure in a soil-less medium and uses recycled resources. It is a blend of orientation (vertical) and agriculture with elements of architecture. This method offers several advantages like maximized space utilization, enhanced aesthetics, improved air quality, and biodiversity. It is a pilot model, with an eco-friendly vertical structure with an exotic vegetable demonstration unit.
As part of the expansion, the team plans to organise a series of other activities in the future. Among them, Aeroponics, a soil-less plant-growing method is of top priority. The Aeroponics method involves suspending plants in an air or mist environment and offers various advantages like efficient water usage, accelerated plant growth and reduced pesticide use. Besides it promotes faster growth and efficient nutrient absorption. REVA University is also planning to promote Hydroponics, another soil-less farming technique which is an efficient, controlled environment for plant growth. It promotes sustainable agriculture in both urban and rural settings, contributing to food security and reduced environmental impact. It also helps to save water and allows year-round cultivation. REVA also plans to install roof gardens and photo voltaic gardens which are eco-friendly and energy-efficient methods of cultivation with the active participation of students.
REVA Electoral Literacy Association
