CM Majhi Salutes NSS Day, Calls Youth to Serve Odisha
Synopsis
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi marked National Service Scheme Day on 24 September 2026, saluting student volunteerism and calling youth to contribute to building a developed and empowered Odisha under the BJP government's development vision.
Key Takeaways
NSS Day falls on 24 September , marking the scheme's launch in 1969 during Mahatma Gandhi's centenary year.
CM Mohan Charan Majhi called on Odisha's youth to serve society and strengthen communities.
The National Service Scheme is a central government programme under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports .
Odisha has participated in NSS through colleges and universities for decades across political administrations.
Majhi's message ties youth volunteerism to the BJP government's 'developed and empowered Odisha' vision.
Upcoming Odisha higher education department NSS enrolment figures will indicate the government's on-ground commitment.
Every year on 24 September, India pauses to honour a quiet but powerful force — the student volunteer. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi used National Service Scheme (NSS) Day 2026 to call on young people across the state to deepen their commitment to community service and to the larger goal of a 'developed and empowered Odisha'.
A scheme born in Gandhi's centenary year
The National Service Scheme is not a new initiative. Launched on 24 September 1969 — exactly during the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi — by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, it was designed to channel student energy into tangible community work: health camps, literacy drives, disaster relief, and environmental projects. More than five decades on, it remains one of India's largest structured youth-volunteer programmes, embedded in colleges and universities across every state.
Odisha has been a participant in NSS activities through its higher-education institutions for decades, long before the current political dispensation. What changes with each government is the rhetorical frame placed around that participation.
BJP's Odisha and the development narrative
CM Majhi, who took office in June 2024 after the BJP ended three consecutive terms of Biju Janata Dal rule in Odisha, has consistently tied youth engagement to the party's broader 'Viksit Odisha' ambition — a state-level echo of the Centre's 'Viksit Bharat' framework. His NSS Day message fits squarely into that arc: volunteerism is recast not just as civic virtue but as developmental infrastructure. 'Let us continue to inspire young minds to serve society, strengthen communities and contribute towards building a developed and empowered Odisha,' he wrote.
The framing is deliberate. For a relatively new government still consolidating its identity in a state it took by defeating an entrenched regional party, aligning with a nationally respected, apolitical scheme like NSS offers both optics and genuine outreach.
What the coming months will reveal
The real measure of intent will come from the Odisha higher education department's NSS enrolment figures and annual special camp schedules, expected to be announced in the months ahead. Those numbers — how many students are enrolled, how many camps are held, how much state co-funding flows in — will tell a more complete story than any ceremonial post.
For now, on the day that marks the scheme's founding, the Chief Minister's message lands as a reminder that youth volunteerism has survived every political cycle in India — and that every new government finds reasons to embrace it.
Point of View
Signalling ideological alignment as much as youth outreach. For a BJP government only two years into power in a state long dominated by a rival regional party, anchoring to a 57-year-old scheme with cross-partisan legitimacy is tactically sound. The sharper question is whether the rhetoric is backed by measurable state investment in NSS infrastructure, something only enrolment data and camp budgets will answer.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Service Scheme Day and when is it celebrated?
NSS Day is celebrated on 24 September every year to mark the launch of the National Service Scheme on 24 September 1969 , during the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi. It honours student volunteerism and community service across India.
Why did Odisha CM Mohan Majhi post about NSS Day?
CM Mohan Charan Majhi posted on NSS Day to salute youth volunteer spirit and urge young Odias to serve society, aligning the occasion with his government's broader vision of building a developed and empowered Odisha.
When was the National Service Scheme launched in India?
The National Service Scheme was launched on 24 September 1969 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to promote student involvement in community service, coinciding with the Gandhi centenary year.
Who is Mohan Charan Majhi and when did he become Odisha CM?
Mohan Charan Majhi is the Chief Minister of Odisha and a BJP leader who took office in June 2024 after the BJP won the Odisha assembly elections, ending decades of Biju Janata Dal rule in the state.
How does NSS work in Odisha colleges and universities?
NSS units are embedded in Odisha's colleges and universities , where enrolled students undertake community service activities including health camps, literacy drives, and environmental projects, guided by the state's higher education department.
