1.17. Youth Services and Sports: The Ministry has initiated new schemes of particular importance both for the student and non- student youth. At the university level, in so far as programmes for the student youth are, concerned the National Service Scheme (NSS) and National Sports Organisation (NSO) have made considerable headway during the year. While the, NSS was launched in September 1969 in 37 universities and similar institutions covering 40,000 students, in 1970-71 it has been extended to all the universities with a target coverage of 95,000. 18 schools of social work have been attached to universities to extend supporting service to the scheme, while 3 institutions at the national level have been designated for research and evaluation, for providing necessary training facilities and for producing the needed literature. Originally conceived as a compulsory alternative to NCC, exemption being allowed for NSO participants, the scheme has now to be run on a selective basis during the Fourth Plan due to the constraint of resources. It has, however, gained popularity among students. The NSO programme has four distinctive components, viz., (i) development of physical facilities in the universities, (ii) provision of

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coaches, (iii) organising coaching camps, and (iv) sports talent scholarships, the main object being to provide universality in sports and games and to promote excellence. The first two components are taken care of by the UGC, and the latter two by, the Inter-University Sports Board of India and Ceylon. The scheme has been implemented during the year in each component successfully. The main objectives of the National Programme for Non-student Youth are to provide opportunities for preparation and training for work and family life, to enable them to understand social and civic responsibilities so that they may participate in programmes of community and national develop- ment in a meaningful way. A National Advisory Board on Youth Services has been set up to coordinate and guide activities of the various agencies in this field. At its first meeting comprehensive action programme comprising setting up of state level and district-level advisory boards, one district youth centre and two block youth centres and reception centres, providing adventure facilities for the training of youth workers and financial assistance for various activities of voluntary agencies, with a total Fourth Plan outlay of Rs. 5 crore has been drawn up. The programme will be translated into action shortly. Notable new schemes in the field of sports introduced or implemented during the year are the scheme of setting up 2500 rural sports centres during the Fourth Plan and the organisation at Patiala of an All-India Rural Sports Competition. Details of these and other related programmes are given in chapter IX.

1.18. Centenary Celebrations and Programmes of National Integration: During the year centenaries of quite a few national and international celebrities were observed at the instance of the Government of India. Among international celebrities are V. I. Lenin whose birth centenary fell on April 22, 1970, Dr. Maria Montessori whose birth centenary was on August 31, 1970, and John Amos Komensky (Comenius), the great Czech humanist whose tri-centenary was on November 15, 1970. The latter two were observed as part of the IEY programme. Among the national celebrities were Deshbandhu C. R. Das (birth centenary on November 5, 1970), and Deenabandhu C. F. Andrews

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(birth centenary on February 12, 1971). A project of enduring value has been launched in connection with the observance of C. R. Das centenary; a 50-bed mobile hospital to be named as 'Chittaranjan Mobile Hospital' will be set up in each state, attached to a medical college where the final year M.B.B.S. students and the interns of the medical college will render service as part of the National Service Scheme. It has also been decided to observe Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary (August 15, 1972) and for this purpose a national committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister with the Union Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation as convenor has been set up. With regard to the programmes for national integration three deserve special mention. Firstly, a committee of educationists and students' leaders was set up, following a recommendation of the Standing Committee of the National Integration Council. This committee has met twice so far, in January, 1970 and in July, 1970. As recommended and approved by this committee, National Integration Samitis, consisting of students and teachers are being set up in the universities and affiliated colleges. A committee of eminent writers has also been set up with whose recommendations, writers' camps are being organised on a regional basis. These committees, composed of members drawn from specified fields of national life. are expected to act as spearheads for a mass movement in the cause of national integration in the country. Besides these two aspects, a high-power committee has been set up to examine how a rational and scientific attitude can be promoted amongst the student community. A detailed account of programmes is given in chapter X.

1.19. Unesco Programmes: An important event during the year has been the 16th General Conference of UNESCO at Paris in October- November. 1970. India sent a strong delegation to it headed by Prof. V. K. R. V. Rao, then Union Minister of Education and Youth Services. India could achieve impressive success, for quite a few of its resolutions were adopted at the conference. They relate to projects on the application of science and technology to the development of Asia, an international in-

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stitute for peace research, special studies relating to Asian culture, Auroville, holding of a world conference on Sanskrit in India and organising a meeting of Education Ministers at Geneva to consider ways and means of financing education in the Second Development Decade. Details of this conference and other UNESCO programmes are given in chapter XII.