Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been awarded the Number One Rank in the ‘Technical Institutions’ category in the Swachhta Rankings 2017 released by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, India.
Dr. S. Mahadevan, Deputy Dean, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, received the Swachhta Rankings Award on behalf of Amrita from Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Government of India, on 14th September, 2017, at New Delhi.
Nearly 3,500 of India’s higher-education institutions participated. The rankings were allotted on the basis of cleanliness and hygiene, with parameters including waste-disposal techniques, campus green cover, garbage disposal in hostels and academic buildings, student/toilet ratio, kitchen hygiene, availability of running water, modernity of toilet and kitchen equipment, and water-supply systems. Also in consideration was whether the institution had adopted any neighbouring locality or village to spread awareness and activities in Swachhta.
Separate toilets are available at Amrita for girls and boys on each floor of all buildings. Drinking water is distributed through water purifiers. Very strict hygiene standards are maintained in kitchen and mess halls. Institution kitchens have automated and semi-automated equipment, and machines are used for cutting vegetables and making chapattis. Vegetable and food waste and dry leaves are turned into vermi-compost for fertilizer.
Amrita’s parent organization, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, has undertaken numerous social initiatives in tune with the philanthropic nature of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The Math has adopted 101 villages across India for sustainable development and free medical care is offered to all nearby villages. The Institution also conduct livelihood training for tribal villagers and since 2010, it has been running the Amala Bharatam Campaign (ABC), drive to clean up cities, temple grounds, rivers, parks, etc. An annual cleaning of Sabarimala Temple grounds and Sannidhanam River is also undertaken by the University.
“It is a great honour to be recognized as the top institution in the technical education space in the all-India Swachhta Ranking. This has been possible because we maintain a very high standard of upkeep in terms of cleanliness and environmental preservation. More than 160,000 trees have been planted at our campus, with full use of drip irrigation and rainwater-harvesting techniques. All garbage bins are segregated. Waste collection, done twice a day, is sent to our in-house recycling center. Liquid waste is fully recycled and used for gardening, and there is 100% treatment of sewage”, said Dr. Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor, Amrita University.
Amrita University, ranked ninth best among all universities in India by National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), 2017, has received various awards over the years for its green initiatives. In June 2017, it bagged the State Pollution Control Award 2017, instituted by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), as a part of the World Environment Day celebrations.
