College to Village: Farmers, Environment and Society

The holistic development of the students and the society at large is the moral and constitutional responsibilities of HEI. The sustainable development and protection of environment are key issues of the contemporary world hence our college has prepared an integrated plan for sustainable development, environment protection and to build a sensitive society.

            College has started add-on programs in vermi-composting, nursery development and tissue culture. The college works on principle ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. Under this we implemented total waste management, rain water harvesting, water recycling, composting pit, biogas, lab water treatment plant, plastic free campus, sanitary pad disposal unit and incinerator. To get the clean energy, we have installed 60 kW solar power plant which suffices more than 90% electricity requirement of the college. All the traditional filament bulbs and fluorescent tubes are replaced by LED bulbs and tubes. Automatic ON-OFF switch is used at water lifting motors and 100% of the campus greenery is maintained with drip-irrigation to save water. The bore-well in the campus is recharged with rain water; the laboratories use pure water by rain water harvesting.

            To minimise use of carry bags we planned ‘Ban carry bag- use sari bag’ program. The girl students prepared the cotton bag from old cloths screen printed. These bags are provided to the participants in conferences and workshops organised in the college. An innovative recycling mode is adopted by the college, the old computed monitors and CPU are dismantled by the physics students and the useful components like semiconductors, capacitors, resistors, speakers, fans are removed and used for practical and other purposes and remaining part is handed over to scrap merchants.

            As our moral responsibility, we have started Mahatma Phule School of Farmers where knowledge about sericulture, bio-fertilizers, bio- pesticides is shared and sustainable developments are provided to them under ‘College to Village program’. We have established demo plants in vermicomposting, pit composting NADEP composting and sericulture. We have converted the garden into learning centre were a state of art, medicinal plant museum; biodiversity park and animal kingdom model museum along with butterfly garden has been established. A government recognised soil and water testing lab is established in collaboration with ‘Archana Analytical Services’. Many plant samples from 52 villages are analysed and soil health card are provided to the farmers. The Food Science department is working on innovative ideas of plant leaf protein and protein biscuits. The tissue culture lab works on banana and sugarcane saplings. It also provides appropriate training to the students to fulfil the need of skilled manpower for biotech labs. The plantation activity is regular feature of the college. Nearly 216 genara and 400 species are preserved in the college campus. 34 varieties of butterflies breed and complete their lifecycle in our garden. More than 70 medicinal plant species are exhibited. 25 varieties of mango and 6 varieties of bamboo are cultivated in Biodiversity Park.

            Social, political and cultural pollution is equally important to soil, water and air pollution. A significant emotional intelligence and value system is required to control social, political and cultural pollution. College has started value-based courses like Introduction to Constitution, Indian Constitutional Rights and Duties, Human Rights, Democracy, Elections and Good governance, Yoga and wellbeing etc. Some of these courses are part of CBCS and student get 2 credits for that.

            To enhance the emotional intelligence among the student and the society, college responds the call of the society in the disasters like flood or pandemic like corona. College students carried out rally to collect the donations for Kerala flood victims and a team of students and teachers participated in relief and rehabilitation work in Kerala. In the year 2018-19 the Kolhapur and Sangli districts faced worst flood conditions.1000 of peoples suffered, animals died, farm and houses are destroyed. In these conditions the Jaysingpur College worked 24 X 7 and helped the victims. The people in the town trusted the college and college was center for relief work throughout the Shirol tehsil. NSS and NCC cadets carried out the ground survey and distributed the drinking water, food and fodder among the needy victims. The gent’s hostel and auditorium was converted into relief camp. The food was provided by the faculty and alumni of the college.

In collaboration with medical council and scientific society the health checkups and health awareness was established. The college prepared tele-advisory videos about health and hygiene and uploaded on you-tube channel in corona era. The NSS and NCC cadets distributed vegetables and food grains in slum area during the lockdown. The NCC cadets work shoulder to shoulder with police to keep law and order.

            To increase the tolerance and enhance the national integration college organises seminars and motivational lectures for example seminar on ‘History of the politics and politics of the history’. The principal of the college addressed several public meetings and lectures in various colleges. The street-play competition, Vivek-vahini and Science club organises various programs and poster presentation to remove blind belief and enhance scientific temper. We try to inculcate the constitutional values like equality, secularism, social justice and fraternity through NSS/NCC camps.