DIBRUGARH, Jan 2 - The National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of Digboi College conducted the second phase of their week-long NSS Special Camp at a remote village known as Saraipung forest village under Digboi Forest Division, which is about 23 kms away from Digboi town, a press release stated.
This village is surrounded by Saraipung Reserve Forest on all sides and is on the edge of the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. Saraipung forest village was established in 1950 by the Forest Department and the present number of households is 86 with 750 individuals, including 300 schoolchildren.
In the special camp, the NSS unit organised several socio-educational awareness programmes in the village from December 26 to 31. Events like school education programme, free veterinary camp with medicines, free medical camp with medicines, free distribution of mushroom seeds and techniques of cultivation, awareness related to health and hygiene and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, general cleanliness drive, anti-superstition and anti-witchcraft practices, wildlife conservation and causes of global warming, besides cultural exchange programme by the NSS student volunteers of the college and the villagers were organised. A friendly football match was also held.
A team of 25 student volunteers, including eight female students of NSS Digboi College unit with two teacher-in-charge Rajib Rudra Tariang and Kishor Haloi took active part in the programme.
Dr Dip Saikia, Principal of Digboi College inaugurated the programme in the presence of Purnakanth Upadahya, Headmaster of Saraipung LP School, Sanjivani Bhumij, local Gaonburha and several others. Dr Dip Saikia spoke on how village adoption by a college could upgrade the ruralites� living conditions with active support through the NSS.
The first day�s programme started with mushroom cultivation techniques along with audio-visual display and practical demonstration to the villagers by two resource persons of Digboi, Padma Borgohain and Nirmali Mech and was assisted by Deepanjol Borgohain, a student volunteer. After the technical programme, the mushroom seeds were distributed freely among the villagers.
On the following day, the village school education programme got off with morning prayers where all the 25 student volunteers took part and imparted lessons from 1st to 10th standard during the stipulated periods for five days continuously.
It is worth mentioning that Saraipung LP School has only one teacher for five classes from Class-I to Class-V, while the nearest high school is about 8 kms away at Bhadoi Paanchali. The dropout ratio is high in the village.
A parallel session comprising free veterinary camp was also organised by the NSS unit and conducted by the Office of the District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Office of Tinsukia for the domestic cattle of the villagers along with vaccination, treatment, medicines and castration. The veterinary team was led by Dr Marzina Khatoon, Dhurbajyoti Deb Laskar, Lalit Sonowal and Prasanta Hazarika. The villagers recalled that free veterinary camp was never arranged during the last 20 years.
In the evening session, an awareness programme on �Superstitious Beliefs and Anti-Witchcraft� was conducted by Kishor Haloi, Assistant Programme Officer of NSS Digboi College unit. On the third day, another free medical camp for the villagers was organised by the NSS unit and conducted by the Rotary Club of Duliajan with support from a doctors� team from Duliajan OIL Hospital.
Altogether, 244 patients were treated freely by five doctors, namely Dr AK Deka, Dr Raktim Borgohain, Dr Reshma Kamal, Dr Medhabrot Nirala and Dr Navneet Swargiari.
In the evening session, a cultural programme was conducted by the NSS student volunteers with various performances like Satriya Nritya, Bihu dance, Nepali dance, Assamese songs, remix, etc.