Funds have started flowing into the account of ‘Snehasparsam’, a project of Kidney Patients Welfare Society of the Kozhikode district panchayat, despite a severe scarcity of lower denomination currency notes.
The fund-raising for the programme held on November 13 did not yield the expected result, and hence the deadline for making contributions was extended to November 20. This gave organisations and panchayats enough time to raise funds internally and deposit them in the Snehasparsam account. So far, Rs.3.8 crore has been deposited in the account on behalf of various grama panchayats and block panchayats.
The fund-raising on November 13 fell flat as most people in rural areas did not have enough cash in their possession, and those who had it were reluctant to part with the meagre change they had.
“We had organised elaborate campaigns as in the previous year, and many people had promised to contribute to the initiative. But on November 13, we found that those who had planned to donate Rs.200 gave only Rs.100. Some could not contribute as we did not have enough change for the Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes with them,” said Snehasparsam project coordinator Sreeraj N.
To help patients
The fund raised for Snehasparsam through various means is used to aid kidney patients in the district, besides those suffering from psychological disorders and HIV patients. “The surge in contributions over the last couple of days shows that the good-hearted people of Kozhikode have no qualms about helping those in need, even when they are in dire straits,” Mr. Sreeraj said.
Rs.3.8 crore deposited so far on behalf of various grama panchayats and block panchayats
