CM Vishnu Deo Sai invokes NSS motto for Viksit Chhattisgarh
Synopsis
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai cited the National Service Scheme's founding motto 'Not Me But You' on 24 September 2026 to urge citizens to prioritise national interest and contribute to the Viksit Bharat-Viksit Chhattisgarh development vision.
Key Takeaways
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai posted on 24 September 2026 invoking the NSS motto 'स्वयं से पहले आप' ('Not Me But You').
He called on citizens to place national interest above personal concerns and join the Viksit Bharat — Viksit Chhattisgarh pledge.
The National Service Scheme was founded in 1969 during Gandhi's birth centenary year to engage college students in community service.
The Viksit Bharat@2047 framework is PM Modi's central vision for India to become a developed nation by Independence's centenary.
Chhattisgarh returned a BJP government in 2023 , and state policy has since been aligned with the central development narrative.
Service before self — four words that have anchored India's largest student volunteer movement for over five decades. On Thursday, 24 September 2026, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai turned to the National Service Scheme's founding motto to urge citizens to place the nation's interest above their own and actively join the march toward a developed India and a developed Chhattisgarh.
Posting in Hindi and tagging @_NSSIndia, the Chief Minister wrote: 'स्वयं से पहले आप' — 'Not Me But You' — calling it the very sanskar (values-rooted ethic) of service and the foundation of nation-building. He urged every citizen to internalise the NSS ideal and become a partner in realising the twin pledge of 'Viksit Bharat — Viksit Chhattisgarh' ('Developed India — Developed Chhattisgarh').
A motto born in 1969, still doing political work in 2026
The National Service Scheme was launched in 1969 during the birth centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi, with the explicit goal of connecting college students to community service and channelling youthful energy into nation-building. Its motto — 'Not Me But You' — was designed as a philosophical counterweight to individual self-interest, embedding a culture of collective responsibility in campuses across the country.
More than fifty years on, the scheme now touches millions of enrolled student volunteers across Indian universities. For state governments, it remains a ready institutional vehicle to align youth engagement with development priorities — and Chief Minister Sai's post is a direct invocation of that tradition.
Where 'Viksit Bharat' meets 'Viksit Chhattisgarh'
The Viksit Bharat@2047 framework — Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stated vision for India to achieve developed-nation status by the centenary of Independence — has become the organising narrative for BJP-governed states seeking to stitch local ambitions into a national arc. Chhattisgarh, which returned a BJP government in the 2023 assembly elections after a five-year gap, has been explicit about aligning its state development agenda with the central target.
By pairing 'Viksit Bharat' with 'Viksit Chhattisgarh' in the same breath, Sai signals that the state's development story is not a parallel track but a constituent part of the national one — and that volunteerism, anchored in NSS values, is the human scaffolding that makes it possible.
It is a message aimed squarely at Chhattisgarh's youth — the NSS's primary constituency — asking them to see their community hours not as an academic requirement but as a contribution to something larger.
Whether that call translates into expanded NSS programming, new state-level targets for volunteer hours, or integration with Chhattisgarh's annual development plans will be the real test. For now, the Chief Minister has planted the flag — and the motto is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Point of View
The NSS — to build a continuous narrative of aligned purpose between Raipur and New Delhi. By anchoring the appeal in the NSS's own 1969 motto rather than a party slogan, Sai gives the message a non-partisan, civic legitimacy that pure political messaging would lack. The timing on a day that carries no specific NSS anniversary underlines how routinely the 'service-as-development' frame is now deployed, and how completely the Viksit Bharat vocabulary has permeated state-level political communication. The real policy question is whether these rhetorical calls are followed by measurable expansions in NSS enrolment or funding within Chhattisgarh's budget cycle.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai say about NSS?
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai invoked the NSS motto 'Not Me But You' on 24 September 2026, calling it the ethic of service and the foundation of nation-building, and urged citizens to join the Viksit Bharat-Viksit Chhattisgarh mission.
What is the motto of the National Service Scheme (NSS)?
The NSS motto is 'Not Me But You' — in Hindi, 'स्वयं से पहले आप' — reflecting the principle of placing the community's needs above one's own. It was adopted when the scheme was launched in 1969.
When was the National Service Scheme founded and why?
The National Service Scheme was launched in 1969 during the birth centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi to engage college students in community service and develop a sense of civic responsibility.
What is Viksit Bharat@2047?
Viksit Bharat@2047 is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stated vision for India to become a fully developed nation by 2047, the centenary of Independence. BJP-governed states like Chhattisgarh have aligned their local development goals to this central framework.
Who is Vishnu Deo Sai?
Vishnu Deo Sai is a BJP leader who became Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh in December 2023 after the BJP won the state assembly elections, ending a five-year gap in the party's governance of the state.
