Skill development project launched

March 29, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:57 am IST - MADURAI:

The dairy project that was inaugurated by Collector L. Subramanian in Madurai on Saturday,— Photo: G. Moorthy

The dairy project that was inaugurated by Collector L. Subramanian in Madurai on Saturday,— Photo: G. Moorthy

A unique skill development project, which includes a certificate course of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), was launched for persons who have recovered from mental illness under the aegis of M. S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation here on Saturday.

The public-private initiative will facilitate mainstreaming of people with a history of mental illness through vocational empowerment in the form of dairy farming. To start with, 20 people — 10 under Tamil Nadu Pudhu Vaazhvu Project and 10 with funding support from Mahindra Consulting Engineers — will be trained at the dairy farm in Ayathampatti near Alagarkoil for three months. The technical support for the training will come from TANUVAS.

The Collector, L. Subramanian, who inaugurated the project, pointed out that it was Madurai which provided employment for the mentally disabled people under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for the first time in the country. He suggested that the beneficiaries could form groups to start their own dairies with assistance from banks. The land owned by families of beneficiaries could be dovetailed to raise cattle fodder. Cattle sheds could be constructed through convergence with MGNREGS.

The Vice-Chancellor of TANUVAS, S. Thilagar, who received the first copy of the course material from Mr. Subramanian, said that treatment of mental illness would not be complete without skill development. D. Thyagarajan, Director of Distance Education, TANUVAS, described cattle as stress busters.

C. Chandrahasan, Director of Distance Education, said that a dairy farm would ensure permanent income. C. S. Narayanan, Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra Consulting Engineers, spoke.

R. Murugaprabu, Lead District Manager, suggested that the beneficiaries could form joint liability groups to obtain loans from NABARD.

C. Ramasubramanian, State Nodal Officer, District Mental Health Programme, stressed that medicine alone would not cure mental illness and there was a need for rehabilitation. Those who addressed the gathering included R. Gopinath, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry, and Christy, General Manager, Madurai Aavin.

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