About RKMVERI (Deemed University)

The University

Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (formerly known as ‘Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University’) is the first step in the actualization of Swami Vivekananda’s vision that Belur Math would develop into an all-round University. It was declared by Government of India through its Ministry of Human Resource Development on the advice of University Grants Commission as an institution Deemed-to-be-University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, by a Gazette Notification No.F.9-54/2004-U.3 dated 5 January 2005. The University was formally inaugurated by the Revered President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission on 4 July 2005, the sacred day of maha-samadhi (passing away) of Swami Vivekananda.

‘Thrust Areas’ chosen—Raison de’tre

Swami Vivekananda prophesied on the eve of his passing away on 4 July 1902 that “the spiritual wave that has come to Belur [Math] will last for fifteen hundred years and it shall be a great University. Do not think I imagine it; I see it.” He also said on the very last day of his life in the mortal frame that: “Keeping the ancient Indian spiritual ideal and rooted in it, and blending it harmoniously with modern science and technology, we should establish a University at Belur Math.” This University therefore, bearing Swami Vivekananda’s hallowed name is a humble attempt by Ramakrishna Mission to actualize his vision. The various ‘thrust areas’ of the University have been chosen keeping in mind the above vision of Swami Vivekananda. The motivation for the choice of the ‘thrust areas’ came essentially from the following considerations:

  1. These ‘thrust areas are in a sense ‘gap areas’ in the sense that these areas scarcely receive attention in most of the conventional Universities in India.
  2. These ‘thrust areas’ are meant to directly benefit the common man, particularly the underprivileged and the rural/tribal sections of the society, thereby fostering social commitment of higher education institutions in India as taught by Swami Vivekananda (which aspect, interestingly, the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission have recently begun to emphasize).
  3. The Ramakrishna Mission has developed a high degree of expertise and a huge infrastructure and resources at least in some of these areas over several decades, almost a century in some cases, of its educational service.
  4. Harmonious blend of the best elements of the East and the West—Western science and technology with the Ancient Indian Heritage, Sanatana Bharatiya Jnana Sampradaya-Parampara (Eternal Indian Knowledge Systems and Tradition).
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, abbreviated as RKMVERI is head-quartered at Belur Math in the district of Howrah, West Bengal has the following unique characteristics:
  • Emphasis on certain ‘thrust areas’ which are also ‘gap areas’ in the sense that these areas scarcely receive any attention in the conventional universities in India,
  • Choice of the ‘thrust areas’ which are directly beneficial to the common man particularly in rural India,
  • Multi-campus character—the university operates through a wide network of Faculty Centres specializing in these thrust areas and located at the various branch-centres of Ramakrishna Mission in various parts of India,
  • Emphasis on the inculcation of higher human values to impart ‘man-making, life-building and character-making education’ as envisaged by Swami Vivekananda.
To start with, the following ‘thrust areas’ have been chosen:
  1. Disability Management and Special Education, and General & Adapted Physical Education
  2. Agriculture, Integrated Rural and Tribal Development
  3. Indian Heritage (spiritual, cultural, scientific, sports heritage) including values education for wholesome, integrated character building
  4. Fundamental and Applied Science education and research
  5. Environment and Disaster Management
Schools/Faculties/Departments/Divisions are running various academic programmes at the Belur Main Campus and the ‘Off-Campus’ Centres across the country through which the above ‘thrust areas’ are operationalized.

The Deemed University has the following Campuses, each of them housing Specialized Faculties conducting various academic programmes to operationalize the above ‘thrust areas’ with the approval of the University Grants Commission, the Ministry of Education, Government of India as well as the various Regulatory Bodies/Agencies:

  1. Belur Main Campus: Mathematical Sciences (Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science including Data Science), Indian Heritage (Sanskrit, Indian spiritual, cultural and scientific heritage, Yoga, Dhrupad Sangeet, Indian classical music), Sports Science.
  2. Coimbatore Campus: Disability Management and Special Education, General & Adapted Physical Education and Yoga, Agriculture and Rural Development, Computer Science and Applications, Data Science, Business Analytics.
  3. Ranchi Campus: Agriculture, Rural & Tribal Development, Agricultural Sciences with thrust on organic farming.
  4. Narendrapur Campus: Agriculture & Rural Development, Integrated Rural Development and Management, Agricultural Bio-technology, Medical Biotechnology (in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission Sevapratishthan Hospital, Kolkata), Molecular Biology, Pharmocognosy, Environment and Disaster Management.

The various academic programmes are run by the following ‘Schools’ housing certain specialized Faculty Centres located in the various Campuses mentioned above:

  1. School of Rehabilitation and Sports Sciences
  2. School of Agriculture and Rural Development
  3. School of Indian Heritage
  4. School of Mathematical Sciences
  5. School of Environment and Disaster Management
  6. School of Biological Sciences

ARTD Faculty Centre at the Ranchi Campus

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Morabadi, Ranchi was started in 1927 as a branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission. In early sixties when the adjoining districts of Ranchi were in the grip of severe drought, this centre organised a distress relief. On completion of the relief work, the monks who were engaged in the work gave serious thought to evolve a lasting solution to the problem. It soon became clear to them that unless the farmers were empowered with appropriate and need-based technology supported by group action, they would never be able to overcome such adverse situations in future. The result of their thought was the establishment of a novel movement in rural development called ‘Divyayan’ (meaning ‘Divine Way’). Divyayan, a unique Integrated Rural Development model with a residential training centre for tribal and rural youths was conceived and launched by Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Morabadi, Ranchi, in 1969.

With the asset of vast experiences of the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Morabadi for more than eight decades and Divyayan Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for more than three decades, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI), Belur Math decided to establish a faculty centre for ‘Integrated Rural & Tribal Development and Management’ at Morabadi, Ranchi, Jharkhand. The appeal was accepted and approval was given to this centre as an ‘Off-campus Faculty Centre’ by the University Grant Commission (UGC) after an inspection of six members team from 29 to 30 June 2006, vide notification No. F.6-96/2004(CPP-I) dated 3rd July 2006.

The faculty centre started formal classes from 22 August 2006 in its existing premises. The foundation stone of the campus building was laid on 12 January 2007, the auspicious birth day of Swami Vivekananda. The four storied new building was fully completed and inaugurated on 15 October 2012 by Srimat Swami Suhitananda Maharaj, the then General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math in the august presence of Dr. S. Ayyappan, the then Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi.

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Page updated on: 11 March 2022