A collective community initiative of like-minded people, irrespective of caste, creed and political affiliations for overall self-development is gaining momentum in this village – Thirunandhikkarai near Kulasekaram in Kanniyakumari district – surrounded by a thick green cover.
Former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said “sustainable development refers to a mode of human development in which environment is preserved while using the resources to meet human needs.”
Inspired by the words of Dr. Abdul Kalam, the villagers established a “Village Development Centre” at a common place for the overall development of the society from every child to the adults, said M. Sasikumar, Community Coordinator and State Secretary of Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF) here on Sunday.
Mr. Sasikumar said the main purpose of establishing the centre was for the overall development and self-sustenance of people of all age groups in the village.
The centre was formally inaugurated on May 30, 2016 by a village elder.
Cutting across party lines, people from all walks of life joined together for a common cause, said Mr. Sasikumar, who was also the former councillor of Ward No. 6 in the Thirparappu town panchayat.
Members of “Malar,” a women SHG are providing handicraft training to the children.
The centre is also imparting skill training like spoken English to improve communication skills, various dance forms, music, self-defence courses such as Karate to the children and self-employment training to village women at a nominal fee. The centre has trained villagers on creating roof garden and it has started yielding fruitful results.
The centre is also acting as an e-Seva centre for the villagers, helping them pay Tangedco bills, book railway and bus tickets and avail other services with the help of three desktop and three laptop computers at the centre.
The centre is functioning in the first floor of the library building in the midst of the village, Mr. Sasikumar added.
“We have a dream to expand this centre as a platform for educated youths to get employability training,” Mr. Sasikumar said.
