Now some of the biggest educational institutes of the country are coming together. IITs and IIMs will adopt village clusters in order to carry out field studies to develop solutions that can be implemented by district authorities under a unique initiative planned by the Centre. Secretaries of Union ministries of HRD, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj signed an MoU yesterday under the ‘Unnat Bharat’ programme, which aims to connect knowledge institutions with rural development processes through adoption of village clusters. Also Read - HRD Minister Asks IITs to Hold Placement Drives For Students Affected by Cancelled Job Offers

The programme is being implemented in 92 districts in Phase–I. After field study, engagement with the local community and assessment of requirements for quality living, the knowledge inputs of educational institutions could be incorporated into the Gram Panchayat Development Plans, that can be considered for implementation by district authorities. Also Read - IITs to Mentor Schools on Teaching Maths, Science, Says HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar

As per the MoU, HRD ministry will ensure that all higher education institutions would be encouraged to adopt a cluster of 5 panchayats in consultation with the District Collectors to carry out detail field study. These institutions would participate in conceptualising and preparation of household–level and community-level development plans along with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj personnel. Also Read - IIT JEE Mains Result 2018: CBSE Joint Entrance Exam Results Delayed, Likely to be Declared at 6 pm at jeemain.nic.in

They would provide inputs and suggest innovative solutions to issues faced in the day-to-day lives of people, in the areas of livelihoods, energy security, environment security and basic living amenities. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj would facilitate the involvement of knowledge institutions in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) preparation process and ensure operational tie-up between the educational institutions and the local bodies.