Rijiju salutes NSS volunteers on National Service Scheme Day
Synopsis
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju marked NSS Day on 24 September 2026 by saluting the spirit of thousands of National Service Scheme volunteers, calling their work essential to building a stronger and more responsible India. The NSS has operated as India's flagship student-volunteer programme since its 1969 launch.
Key Takeaways
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju posted a tribute to NSS volunteers on 24 September 2026 , observed as NSS Day .
He called volunteers' dedication central to building 'a stronger and more responsible India.' The National Service Scheme was founded in 1969 on Gandhi's centenary to institutionalise student volunteerism.
The scheme operates under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and spans health, environment, literacy, and disaster-relief activities.
Annual NSS Day messages are a recurring tradition across central government ministries.
A quiet but steady force in India's social fabric gets its annual moment of national recognition. On NSS Day, 24 September 2026, Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju paid tribute to thousands of National Service Scheme volunteers across the country, calling their work a pillar of a 'stronger and more responsible India.'
Posting on X and tagging the official @_NSSIndia handle, Rijiju wrote: 'On #NSSDay, I salute the spirit of service embodied by thousands of NSS volunteers across the country. Your dedication, compassion and commitment to serving society are helping build a stronger and more responsible India. Keep serving, keep inspiring!'
Fifty-seven years of organised student volunteerism
The National Service Scheme was launched in 1969 — on the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth — with an explicit mandate to draw higher education students into community service and social outreach. The idea was straightforward: connect campuses to the communities around them, and make volunteerism a structured, credited part of a student's formative years. More than five decades later, the programme operates under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and remains one of the largest organised volunteer networks in the country.Why 24 September matters on the NSS calendar
NSS Day on 24 September has become a fixture on the government's youth-sector calendar. Every year, ministers across portfolios use the occasion to acknowledge volunteer contributions and reaffirm the programme's place in national life. Rijiju's message this year follows that pattern — warm, direct, and aimed squarely at the volunteers themselves rather than at any policy announcement. The four images attached to the post underline the visual breadth of NSS work: a programme that spans rural health drives, environmental campaigns, literacy efforts, and disaster-relief support. For India's millions of university students enrolled in NSS, the Day is more than a hashtag. It is an institutional signal that their unpaid, often unglamorous service is seen at the highest levels of government. The real measure of the scheme's vitality, of course, will come in the next Union Budget or Youth Ministry announcement — where enrolment targets and funding allocations will say far more than any message of appreciation. Until then, the volunteers keep showing up.Point of View
A recurring motif in its social-policy messaging. NSS, one of the few pre-liberalisation government youth programmes still fully active, provides a politically neutral platform to engage students and universities without controversy. The minister's shout-out to @_NSSIndia also signals the government's push to amplify institutional handles and build digital awareness around flagship schemes. The real policy test remains resource allocation — whether enrolment targets and budgetary support keep pace with the rhetorical prominence given to volunteerism each September.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NSS Day and when is it celebrated?
NSS Day is observed on 24 September each year to mark the founding anniversary of the National Service Scheme, which was launched on that date in 1969 .
What is the National Service Scheme (NSS) in India?
The National Service Scheme is a government programme launched in 1969 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to involve higher education students in community service, social outreach, health, literacy, and environmental activities.
What did Kiren Rijiju say on NSS Day 2026?
Kiren Rijiju posted on X saluting NSS volunteers for their 'dedication, compassion and commitment to serving society,' saying they are helping build 'a stronger and more responsible India.'
Which ministry runs the NSS in India?
The NSS is administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports , Government of India.
Why was NSS launched in 1969?
The NSS was launched in 1969 to coincide with the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, with the goal of institutionalising a spirit of voluntary community service among university and college students across India.
