Universities and Colleges to Give Momentum to Yogi Government’s ‘Zero Poverty’ Campaign

• Universities and colleges will adopt village panchayats for the all-round development of Zero Poverty families
• Adoption of village panchayats will begin from the state capital Lucknow under a pilot project
• After successful results of the pilot project, the initiative will be implemented across the state
• Universities and colleges will adopt 10 to 15 nearby village panchayats
• MoUs will soon be signed among colleges, universities, and the concerned department for adopting village panchayats
• Students from NSS, NCC, and MSW courses of institutions will be linked with the campaign

Lucknow, Jan 2026 : The Yogi government is set to take another major step towards making Uttar Pradesh poverty-free. Under this initiative, the state government is considering linking universities and colleges with the Zero Poverty Campaign. For this purpose, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be signed with universities and colleges. Under the campaign, these institutions will adopt 10 to 15 village panchayats for the holistic development of identified poor families.

Students from NSS, NCC, MSW, and other courses of these institutions will work as volunteers to connect Zero Poverty families with livelihood opportunities, skill development, employment, and social empowerment initiatives. The programme will begin as a pilot project from the state capital, Lucknow, and after achieving successful outcomes, it will be implemented across the state in a phased manner.

Nodal teachers to be appointed at institutional level

Principal Secretary, Planning and Nodal Officer of the Zero Poverty Campaign, Alok Kumar, said that under the campaign, students from universities and colleges will conduct surveys of identified families in each village panchayat to promote livelihood enhancement, skill development, employment generation, and entrepreneurship. To ensure effective implementation, nodal teachers will be appointed at the institutional level to monitor the campaign and guide ongoing activities in the village panchayats.

To ensure active participation of youth, students from NSS, NCC, MSW (Social Work), and various other courses in universities and colleges will be associated with the campaign. These students will visit villages and assess the needs of Zero Poverty families.

MoUs at district level and quarterly review meetings

Alok Kumar further said that micro-planning will be undertaken to promote skill training, employment, and entrepreneurship. Youth will be linked with skilling programmes, apprenticeships, and placement opportunities. In addition, assistance will be provided to young members of Zero Poverty families in application processes so that eligible families are not deprived of any government scheme.

Regular mentoring and progress tracking of eligible beneficiaries will also be carried out. It will be ensured that all eligible beneficiaries receive 100 percent coverage of government welfare schemes. To make the initiative effective, coordination between the district administration and universities and colleges will be ensured. For this purpose, MoUs will be signed at the district magistrate level, and quarterly review meetings will be held to assess progress and make necessary improvements.