Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, organized an online workshop on “Psychosocial Support for COVID19 Pandemic Conditions” on 24th June 2021 in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.

Mr. Samarth Sharma, Consultant, Ministry of Education, Govt of India, New Delhi was the resource person. Dr. Balbir Singh, Dean of Students, SMVDU, welcomed the speaker and audience. The inaugural address was delivered by Dr. W. G. Prasanna Kumar, Chairman, MGNCRE. He emphasized the need of creating awareness among the rural population and pointed out that SMVDU’s engagement in this process is commendable.

He motivated the audience to help the needy COVID victims in all possible ways. Sh. Nagendra Singh Jamwal, Registrar, SMVDU, expressed his gratitude towards the MGNCRE team for the workshop and desired that such a program should be frequently organized for the welfare of the people.Dr. Anil Kumar Tewari, Faculty-in-Charge, University Social Responsibility, SMVDU, coordinated the program with the help of the Dean of Students’ Welfare Office. He appreciated the role of MGNCRE in creating awareness regarding health and hygiene, social entrepreneurship, skill development and waste management so that rural India becomes resilient to deal with any pandemic situation in an efficient way.

Mr. Samarth Sharma, an MBA Graduate from the Panjab University, Chandigarh, conducted the workshop in a highly interactive manner. The participants responded to his invocations with enthusiasm and they learnt how to deal with challenges posed by the pandemic conditions such as helping people in distress, managing COVID vaccination-related issues and planning in advance for any emergency situation. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Balbir Singh and Dr. Anil Tewari.More than 60 faculty, staff and students participated in the interaction.