Bangalore University decides to extend village adoption to all its departments

Bangalore University has made the ‘Village Adoption’ programme mandatory for all its departments. The measure comes after the successful implementation of the ‘Legal Awareness and Literacy’ programme by the University Law College through village adoption.

There are about 42 departments in Bangalore University, including Kannada, English, and performing arts, and the university has asked all these departments to adopt at least two villages.

In the first phase, University Law College, in association with the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, conducted a comprehensive Legal Awareness and Literacy Programme at Biddanagere village in Kunigal taluk of Tumakuru district.

As part of this initiative, final-year law students undertook an extensive field survey in the village to assess the legal and documentation-related issues faced by rural residents. The survey focused on identifying concerns such as pending disputes and cases, lack of Aadhaar-related documentation, and difficulties in accessing the government officials concerned.

“During the interaction with villagers, students observed that many people were unaware of the importance of essential government documents such as driving licences, vehicle insurance, birth certificates, and death certificates. The absence of these key documents has resulted in several families being deprived of various government welfare schemes and benefits. The students provided guidance on the procedures to obtain these documents and informed the public about the availability of free legal assistance through the Taluk Legal Services Committee and the District Legal Services Authority,” said Meghana Manoj, a final-year law student at the university.

In the second phase, thematic group discussions were organised on important legal topics, including laws relating to victim protection, prevention of child marriage, and women’s property rights. Awareness was also created about the Digital Sakhi programme, which aims to enhance digital literacy and empower women at the grassroots level.

“The programme saw active participation from ASHA and anganwadi workers, apart from representatives of Stree Shakti self-help groups of the taluk, who engaged in meaningful discussions and clarified their doubts. Through this outreach effort, our university once again reinforced its role not only as an academic institution but also a proactive stakeholder in promoting legal literacy, access to justice, and empowerment of rural communities,” Shiva Prakash, another student, added.

.Jayakara S.M., Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University, said, “Our law college has already adopted two villages in Tumakuru district and made the legal awareness and assistance programme a great success. The villagers have also expressed their happiness over this.”

“All departments will adopt at least two villages and undertake activities such as maintaining the cleanliness of the villages and going to schools to teach English, grammar, and computer science to students. The science department will provide tips on understanding science and mathematics in a simple way, and organise science and laboratory exhibitions. The performing arts department will create awareness about social issues among rural people through drama and folk dance performances,” he said.