Individual Plain :

Knowledge about Research Methodology. Experiential learning,  Pride of being a part of the dream project, Tapping of youth energy and skills and The joy of creativity.

Social Plain :

Better passenger and freight connectivity to the rest of the country, Help the entire region develop integrally through infrastructure, General employment opportunity for the rural people, Reduce the congestion on the roads, Motivating and creating awareness about the need for participation of youth in the National development.

National Plain :

Commitment to a great national cause, Developing patriotic spirit, Protection of Environment from pollution, Providing opportunities to the innovative skills in youth and To develop Role Models for the posterity.

Course of Study :

The study would focus on the voluntary involvement of the youth to contribute to the national infra-structure development.  The hypothesis is that the voluntary participation of the youth in the building of the railway line by offering free services such as physical labour, donation, motivational leadership, supervisory works etc. could bring down the cost of the project to some extent. the student volunteers of Pathways project, have conducted a house-hold sample survey in twenty three selected villages and interviewed nearly two thousand villagers to capture their perceptions about the project besides two thousand youth pursuing various disciplines of higher education which yields highest productivity in knowledge economies, were also interviewed to assess their willingness to volunteer.  The students have visited a number of offices like PWD, RTO, Railways, Industries and Commerce, Chamber of Commerce, APMC to collect secondary data, besides collating large scale data base through a strenuous primary survey. 

Experience and learning:

The experience is very rich and the learning invaluable.  The study was taken up during the summer and midterm vacations with the objective of utilizing their leisure their productivity. The Project has also been a wonderful learning experience for the Pathways students who could inculcate essential qualities of leadership, analytical skills, communication skills, motivation, persuasiveness, spirit of teamwork, commitment and dedication to a social cause and awareness of their role in the process of Nation building.

Methodology:

The design of the present study involves a combination of Documentary analysis, Descriptive survey, Case study, Interview and Focused group discussion

Sampling:

Stratified Proportionate Random Sampling was used to draw the samples for the study.  All the 41 villages which fall in the jurisdiction of the proposed railway route were stratified into 7 Categories, on the basis of the population. The villages in each category were ranked using a combined index of population and literacy rates and adequate representation was given to the villages having the highest, medium and the lowest rankings.

Estimated Cost-Efficiency :

Assuming that the train runs twice daily between these two stations, the Railway department can anticipate a daily profit of Rs 56,000/- which would result in a monthly average income of  Rs 16,80,000/- and an annual aggregated income of Rs 1,91,60,000/-, which could be utilized to meet the salaries, maintenance and the recovery costs.

Degree of Favour towards the Project