Directorate of Community Service

About

Established in July 2016 (formerly known as the Community Development Centre), the Directorate of Community Services (DCS) at CPUH is a pioneering initiative dedicated to linking academic knowledge with real-world community needs.

Vision

Empowering rural communities through University-driven, need-based sustainable technologies and innovations.

To promote global competitiveness by providing multiple opportunities for excellent community-based participatory education, applied research, academic innovation, and service to humanity.

The DCS works actively to strengthen the bond between academia and society by promoting:

• Social responsibility among students and faculty
• Active citizenship for inclusive national development
• Community engagement through experiential education
• Adoption of villages through experiential education

• 24 backward villages under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA)
• 90 villages under DCS initiatives

Over 100 social development activities organized in the past five yearsMission: “To promote global competitiveness by providing multiple opportunities for excellent Community based Participatory education, applied research, academic innovation and service to the humanity”  

Objectives of DCS

• To apply classroom knowledge for community welfare and sustainable rural development
• To encourage real-world problem-solving through participatory learning and innovation
• To impart essential health services, skills, and recreational facilities to youth and unemployed women
• To enhance income and quality of life through:

• Natural Resource Management
• Crop Diversification
• Livestock Management
• Nutritional and Food Security

• To conduct capacity-building programs empowering marginal and small-scale farmers in adopted villages
• To promote student accountability, leadership, and social entrepreneurship
• To support the University’s rural upliftment mandate by adopting the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach in alignment with NEP 2020

Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)

The DCS has established partnerships with reputed national institutions for collaborative research, innovation, and outreach, including:

• ICAR–IARI, New Delhi
• ICAR–IGFRI, Jhansi (U.P.)
• ICAR–IIMR, Hyderabad, Telangana
• ICAR–DRMR, Bharatpur, Rajasthan
• NMPB–RCFC–NR-1, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India

Collaborations & Partnerships

• Collaborative SC-Sub Plan Project on Fodder Development & Livestock Management for Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts with ICAR–IGFRI, Jhansi, Government of India (2023–24 onwards)
• Collaborative SC-Sub Plan Project (2025) on Enhancing Livelihood & Entrepreneurship Options for Sustainable Development and Empowerment of 500 SC Farmers in Hamirpur District with ICAR–IARI, where Dr. T.R. Sharma (DDG, Crop Science) served as Chief Guest
• Village Partnership under IARI–CATAT, New Delhi (2021 onwards) — supporting agricultural technology transfer, hybrid seed introduction, and climate-resilient agro-practices across 90 adopted villages
• Approved Project under Sustainable Agriculture System (SAS) entitled “Community-based Sustainable Commercialization of Him Ghanajeevamrit through the Use of Cow and Buffalo Dung” for 2025–26 — the only project sanctioned to CPUH in Himachal Pradesh under SAS
• GI Application Sanctioned on ‘Chamba Chukh’, granted by HIMCOSTE, DEST&C, Shimla (H.P.), January–June 2025
• National Seminar (Feb 25–26, 2025) sponsored by ICSSR–NWRC, Panjab University, focusing on Sustainable Innovation in Agriculture for Rainfed Areas of Himachal Pradesh - with active participation from academia, researchers, and farmers

Projects under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA)

(National Coordinator: IIT New Delhi, UGC, Ministry of Education – DCS, CPUH, 2019–2023)

• Manufacturing of traditional ‘Barian’ to support scaling up of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at Tikker Village
• Distribution of aromatic and medicinal plants at Kot Village
• ‘Pattal Plate’ making using Bahunia vahli leaves at Kot Village
• Formulation of Immunity Booster Herbal Tea during COVID-19 at Tikker Village
• Promotion and commercialization of traditional fermented beverage ‘Seera’ at Baloh Panchayat

Events