Though the second phase of fund raising for the Snehasparsam project of the Kidney Patients Welfare Society was held on Sunday, the funds are yet to land in the Snehasparsam accounts, which could be termed as a direct effect of demonetisation.
The fund raising for the rural areas held on November 13 received luke warm response as most people did not have cash to contribute for charity. The Society had to extend the dates to November 20 for the convenience of the contributors, which however earned good results.
The second phase of the fund raising was held in the urban belt including Kozhikode Corporation and Feroke municipality. Contrary to expectations, the contributions were mostly not made online in the urban areas. “There was cash and sometimes cheques. Online contributions were low,” said project co-ordinator Sreeraj N.
The funds are being collected by the ward councillors and registered at the Corporation office before being deposited in the Snehasparsam bank account. In most wards, the collection is yet to be concluded.
Snehasparsam is a pet project of the Society that works under the Kozhikode District Panchayat, which caters for financially backward kidney patients in the district. The beneficiaries of the project get financial aid for medicines as well as dialysis. Of late, project had been extended to the care of mentally ill patients as well.
