REDUCING INEQUALITIES

Introduction                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Equality and prosperity for all is a feature of a developed country. It is possible only with equal opportunities irrespective of discrimination on any basis. Economic, social and environmental factors are the three pillars that can raise a country over poverty. It is imperative to develop national economic policies that lower inequality levels which can accelerate both poverty reduction and overall economic growth. In addition, there should be equal access to health care and education at institutional and community level, increased access to innovations and technology that support economic development of these marginalized population.

Nitte DU commitment to promote equality:
Nitte DU is committed to provide equal opportunities in Health Care, Education and Employment by creating an inclusive work culture in which all employees are treated with respect and dignity. Any discrimination in the workplace whether on grounds of gender, religion, sex, disability status, sexual orientation or religious belief is prohibited. Dedicated platforms are formed to support and supervise equality.

Equal opportunity cell
This cell is formed to offer comprehensive services and support systems for students with disabilities and disadvantaged groups. It provides social justice to all without any discrimination.

Vision and Mission

• Positive action in favor of the marginalized students
• Implementation of provisions and policies for students with disabilities
• Providing required support systems for students with disabilities and underrepresented groups
• Ensuring non-discrimination for underprivileged and marginalized students
• Creating a barrier free environment in the University for Persons with Disabilities
• Ensure accessible reading material for students with visual impairment

Nitte DU provides infrastructure support to equal opportunity:

Disable - friendly, barrier free environment:

• Ramps and lifts for easy access to various specialty department
• Lifts are large and spacious which can accommodate wheelchairs and stretchers easily
• Elevators are made accessible to visually impaired and blind
• Disable friendly washrooms and Corridors are provided with railings
• Campus also possesses blind friendly tiles
• Our website is accessible for visually impaired students with screen reading software

HEALTH CARE TO THE UNDERPRIVILEGED:

Providing concessions and free treatment Justice K.S Hegde Charitable trust hospital, an eminent part of Nitte DU. It functions mainly by helping the individuals availing for healthcare needs from a different class of society. The aim is always to provide the best standard of



treatment to everyone, thereby decreasing the chances of inequality in channelizing specific treatment needs. Various cards from central and state government schemes are accepted in our hospital, which provides a fee cutoff of the total expenditure during the treatment. Individuals are provided with a complete wavier of fee on admission into general wards for child delivery and skin related diseases

The inclusion of cards in the hospital like BPL, Ayushmann Bharath, ESI has been a great benefit to individuals who otherwise cannot avail the best treatment, thereby balancing the treatment availability striking down the inability to attain the same because of their economic constraints, balancing equality in health care across the beneficiaries. KSHEMA health cards can also be availed in the hospital, which qualifies for a reduced fee for treatment and subsidies, a yearly renewal scheme. The staff, including the teaching and non-teaching faculties of the University, are provided with NU-CARE health cards with maximum benefit. Under the card, free treatment will be provided to the staff and their group of family, including free of cost treatment in general wards with minimum charges for consumables and 40% deduction in special wards. Thereby preventing inequality between individuals working in the University with equal benefits. Definitive health care is a right of every individual; hence our University, through various concessions, addresses the health care needs in general wards with minimum charges for consumables and 40% deduction in special wards. Thereby preventing inequality between individuals working in the University with equal benefits. Definitive health care is a right of every individual; hence our University, through various concessions, addresses the health care needs of different sections of the society, staff and students, which accounts for an extensive array of beneficiaries.

PREVENT DISCRIMINATION AND BY PROVIDING TIMELY FACIAL CORRECTIONS:

Cleft lip and palate is one of the commonly seen congenital anomalies globally; it also affects the prominent and noticeable areas like

lips, nose, alveolar ridges and palate. All these compromises the ability to eat and speak. This hugely brings down the confidence to live a happy and quality life. Nitte Meenakshi Institute of craniofacial surgery provided free of cost craniofacial surgeries for a decade. The cleft surgeries are done free of charge with a 24X7 operating OPD with oral and maxillofacial surgery postgraduates and surgery fellows. Free camps are also conducted twice a year to identify and help the beneficiaries. A nominal fee is charged for maxillofacial esthetic corrections and head and neck cancers surgeries.

NITTE DU SUPPORTS THE LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS OF INDIA

UNESCO has adopted the Yuelu Proclamation, which calls upon the international community and organizations to reach a consensus on the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity. To reduce inequality within the country, it is imperative to place all the indigenous languages on equal footing to promote social inclusion and national solidarity. Tulu is one of the earliest Dravidian languages with a history of 200 years and is spoken by people of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasargod of Kerala. The government is making all efforts to include Tulu in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Nitte University has taken the initiative towards protecting and promoting the minority language Tulu by uplifting Tulu heritage and Tulu culture. Centre for Tulu Studies for research work on Tulu heritage and regional culture has been established. It has a well-developed Tulu library, access to ‘Tulu Jnatipadoksha’, a cognate dictionary. Professional teachers conduct Tulu classes for new learners. Center encourages collection and restoration of Tulu artefacts, Compilation of Tri-lingual English- Kannada-Tulu Dictionary, Guides research scholars and conducts Guest lectures on Tulu related themes. The Centre also reassures classes on other languages such as Malayalam and Kannada for students from different states.

NAMASTE

Center for Studies on the North Eastern States
The north-eastern region of India is traditionally underrepresented in Higher Education Institutions across India. Hence, Nitte University started NAMASTE to create academic opportunities for the underprivileged students from NAMASTE states (North East States Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura), aiming to support students of north-eastern states and promote their culture.


NITTE – NAMASTE is a scholarship program started in 2018-19 in support of India’s scheme “Ishan Uday” to provide scholarship (Tuition Fee-Waiver) to meritorious but economically backward students hailing from north-eastern states of India. By far, 33 students have received a scholarship through NITTE- NAMASTE.

Academic Year Scholarships Awarded (Full tuition-fee waiver)

	Male Students	Female Students	Total
2018-19	3	7	10
2019-20	0	12	12
2020-2021	1	10	11

NITTE DU REACHES OUT TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCE INEQUALITY

Providing one-day dentures:

The absence of teeth decreases efficient speaking, difficulty in chewing and thereby reduces intake of food and predominantly the appearance of face drastically changes thereby affecting their confidence and urge to live everyday life.



Therefore reduces their interest in involving in public events. Also, difficulty in mastication makes them have a narrow food preference. These complete dentures in entirely edentulous patients provide an adequate replacement and improve the quality of life drastically. The concept of a single day FREE denture camp was initiated to provide oral health care for completely edentulous geriatric patients from rural areas at their doorsteps as elderly patients have economic constraints and find it challenging to visit Dental Surgeons multiple times. Several camps were conducted in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. A total of close to 3000 edentulous patients were treated free of cost, providing equal rights to live everyday life and improving their confidence.




Recently, A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, NITTE DU, Sindhi Youth Forum Charitable Trust, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and RVS Dental college entered Limca Book of Records 2020–2022 for the maximum number of complete Denture prepared and delivered in a single day. The event was called “Gift a Smile” and held at Coimbatore, where 149 completely edentulous patients were benefited.

N SPECC - NITTE SPECIAL CHILD CARE

Nitte special child care is a project of the Nitte University in collaboration with Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan, Government of India. N–SPECC offers comprehensive medical and dental treatments; sponsors aids and corrective surgeries for underprivileged and special children. Special educators are appointed to pick the needy children from specific clusters of the South Canara region. They are brought to K.S Hegde charitable hospital and A.B Shetty institute of dental sciences, Nitte University, to deliver treatments. The aids and equipment sponsored are 4 walkers, 34 wheelchairs, 10 cerebral palsy aids, 1 waterbed, 4 airbeds, 8 spectacles, 4 hearing aids, 1 surgical shoes and one tricycle.

NITTE DU REACHES OUT TO RURAL POPULATION

Free health care through 21 rural health centres
Nitte DU has established 21 Rural Satellite Health Centers to reach the rural population to improve accessibility, availability and affordability of health care and promote health awareness in rural areas with minimal access to health care. Rural communities from 21 villages avail daily free out-patient medical and dental care, and there are more than 2,50,000 beneficiaries each year. Free specialist care through 2 rural hospitals Specialist medical and dental care is provided at subsidized cost at two rural hospitals with specialist cadre doctors.

VITTIYA SAKSHARTA ABHIYAN

Nitte DU is engaged in sustained social responsibility activities. The University has taken the lead under the Vittiya Saksharta Abhiyan program of the Ministry of Human resources. Development and collaborated with Syndicate Bank to transform a village (Munnar Village) into a Cashless Village. Students of the University, including NSS volunteers, participated in educating and encouraging the villagers to adopt digital transactions. A national-level study on the penetration of digital banking practice in rural India was conducted in association with the University of Pennsylvania.

NICAT- NITTE DU INTEGRATED CARE FOR TRIBAL COMMUNITY

Koraga is an aboriginal tribe at Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka. Though the koragas are tribals, they are regarded as ceremonially impure and unclean in the local Hindu society and were considered untouchables by the mainstream. Koragas are perhaps the most backward among the tribes of Karnataka and Kerala. Children of the Koraga family lack basic amenities such as nutritious food, shelter and primary education. The conventional education system remains unfriendly to the koraga children since most first-generation literates suffer from an inferiority complex. Following the demands from district Koraga Okkoota and Samagra Grameena Ashram, a social pressure group working for the welfare of koragas, a special residential school was set up to provide academic coaching to high schools. Poor personal hygiene practices make the children of this community usually suffer from poor oral health, skin infections, respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases. Among the skin infections, scabies and dermatitis are the two significant health problems. Since educating children on good hygiene is the best way to avoid the spread of infections and disorders, the department of pediatric and preventive dentistry collaborates with Dr. B. S Hemalatha, K.A.S, coordinator, integrated tribal development program, Mangalore and Nitte Usha institute of nursing sciences, Nitte University, Mangalore, started NICAT on 24th august 2016 with the Objectives to focus on educating, improving their oral and personal hygiene practices by addressing their specific medical/ dental problem and provide personal hygiene packages.

NITTE DU SUPPORT TO THE PUBLIC DURING THE PANDEMIC:

The lockdown directly affected daily wage workers with lesser work opportunities; basically, many families and individuals suffered from SDG10Nitte DU support to the public during the pandemic: The lockdown directly affected daily wage workers with lesser work opportunities; basically, many families and individuals suffered from poor quality of life. In these challenging times, it is the responsibility of every individual to help each other and bring the confidence of weaker sections. Our University took to the forefront in helping people in distress.

• During the pandemic outbreak in the world, our University took the forefront in helping society through funds and providing necessary kits. Rs.1,25,00,000/- was allocated out of which INR 75, 00,000 was given to ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund)’, a dedicated national fund and INR 50,00,000 to Chief Minster’s Fund for addressing Covid 19 pandemic
• The student of (Intern batch) A.B.Shetty memorial institute of the dental institute started a small rudimentary plan during the pandemic outbreak called “LAKSHYA” to raise funds and help the needy. Funds were generated through staff, alumina, and students. The amount was utilized in providing essential food and groceries for over 50 families and helping old age homes that needed necessities during the time of crisis
• Also, glucometers, pulse oximeters and thermal scanners were contributed to the ASHA workers and MPW workers of Mangalore city co-operation.
• A vaccination drive was organized in association with Billava sangha Urwa for enrollment and sensitizing the surrounding people to the importance of vaccines.

NITTE DU AND RESEARCH RELATED TO REDUCTION OF INEQUALITIES IN THE SOCIETY WITH INTRAMURAL FUNDING:

• Dr.Smitha was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.7500 for a study on Attitudes and patterns of use of Smokeless tobacco in women –A Qualitative Study.
• Dr.Swathi Rao was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.1,50,000 for a study on Role of Nuclear factor-kappa B activation and inflammatory biomarkers in critically ill children.
• Dr.Suchetha Kumari was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.1,75,000 for a study on The effect of sex hormone binding globulin and abdominal obesity in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome on metabolic parameters
• Dr. Sachidananda Adiga M N was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.1,75,000 for a study on Assessment of UGT and CYP Polymorphism on Sodium Valproate monotherapy in Pediatric Epileptic Patients- A Pilot study
• Mr Sukesh Shetty was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.4000 for a study on A Correlation Study on the importance of Breakfast with academic Performance Among Nursing Students In Selected College At Mangaluru
• Mr Sukesh Shetty was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.3000 for a study on A co-relation of academic performance with study habits and academic stress among under graduate students
• Ms.Cleeta Anline Pinto was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.190000 for a study on Genetic markers of Tuberculosis among Indo Tibetans and Indian population
• Ms. Nalini M was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.5000 for a study on Relation with level of expressed emotion with relapse of psychiatric symptoms among schizophrenic patients
• Ms. Sujatha was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.3800 for a study on association between activities of daily living of bedridden patients with health problems of caregivers
• Ms.Harsha Thomas was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.3500 for a study on Perceived view of parents on child-friendly hospital environment in healing process in a selected pediatric ward at Deralakatte in Mangaluru
• Dr.Prasanna Shetty is conducting a study on Impact of Body Mass Index on reproductive outcome among women undergoing intrauterine insemination
• Ms.Anisha Nishanth was funded by Nitte DU, Rs.7500 for a study on Traditional Indian Martial Society.The arms and armour, custom and distinctness of the warrior community (evolution of martial aspects up to the contemporary times).