The Nair Service Society’s budget for 2012-13, presented by its general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair on Friday, envisages an income and expenditure of Rs.95.5 crore.
Presenting his first budget after assuming office, Mr. Nair said the NSS, one of the largest corporate managements in the education sector, would enter the self-financing education stream wherever necessary.
The budget earmarks Rs.5 crore for social welfare measures with focused allocation for strengthening the functioning of the social service department. Women’s self-help groups and Mannam social service societies will be strengthened and the functioning of human resource centres (HRCs) will be extended to all taluk unions and up to the Karayogam level.
According to him, with the commencement of the functioning of the HRCs in the remaining 29 taluk unions this year, the entire network would be covered. The budget envisages to bring the functioning of the HRC down to the karayogam level covering 5,000-odd units. Every karayogam will have a seven- member human resource cell which would include the karayogam president, secretary, and professional experts.
Expert members
The taluk-level HRCs plan to train and equip 700 expert faculty members for taking the services of the HRCs to the members, focusing on premarital counselling, career guidance, Public Service Commission test coaching, and various other coaching facilities for students and the youth. A de-addiction-cum-rehabilitation centre would start functioning under the HRC shortly.
Mr. Nair said there were 16,172 women’s self-help groups (SHGs) effectively functioning across the 59 taluk unions. The number would be increased to 20,000 this year. The turnover of the SHGs has touched Rs.540 crore and the quantum would be increased to Rs.700 crore during 2012-13. Projects have been envisaged for extension of organic farming, animal husbandry, and waste management at the grass-roots level, he said.
Law college
The budget has earmarked Rs.2 crore for the work on the proposed law college at Kottiyam and the Civil Services Academy in Thiruvananthapuram. The health services department would have a budget of Rs.25.67 crore for 2012-13. This include Rs.1 crore for the construction of the super-specialty hospital at Perunna and Rs.5 crore for hospital instruments.
The budget provides for Rs.14 crore for the functioning of its education institutions and Rs.10 core for hospitals under the NSS Medical Mission. A sum of Rs.3 crore would be spent on agriculture this year.
P.N. Narendranathan Nair, NSS president, chaired the session.
Three resolutions
The general body adopted three resolutions during its budget session.
These included the demand for implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission for the Economically Backward among the Forward Communities, constitution of a welfare corporation at the national level for the benefit of non-reserved communities, rectification of the anomalies in the school education package declared by the State government, steps to end the discrimination and denial of justice to members of non-reserved communities in the appointments through the PSC.
Nine members were elected unanimously to the director board during the budget session, G. Gopakumar of Kollam being the lone new face. The others are M. Sasikumar, Karthikappally; N. Kesava Pillai, Kunnathur; M.S. Mohan, Ponkunnam; Harikumar Koickal, Changanassery; V.P. Haridas, Ottappalam; M.M. Govindankutty, Kanayannur; K. Pankajaksha Panicker, Cherthala; and K.S. Pillai, Thrissur.
