The Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) has released ₹ 18 crore towards various community development projects across the state since five months.
Executive Director H.L. Manjunath in a release here said Project Chairman Dharmadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade ordered the release of funds at a time when the common man was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the dairy sector helping hundreds to lead life during the pandemic, the Project provided ₹ 1.84 crore towards building 132 dairy buildings, the release said.
The Project has been implementing Grama Kalyana programme to improve rural infrastructure. As such, it has provided ₹ 1.68 crore towards 90 projects including community hall, managing Go Shalas, orphanage and senior citizen houses, building residential schools for specially abled children etc.
As much as ₹ 1.72 crore was released towards 22 projects under Jnana Deepa Shikshana programme to construct school buildings, meeting halls, open air theatres, toilets, compound walls, drinking water provision, playgrounds, class rooms etc., in Belagavi, Uttara Kannada and Haveri districts. Mr. Manjunath said ₹ 26 lakh was released towards improving Hindu cremation grounds.
In all, funds were released for 257 works in 30 districts of the state in the last five months.
The project has also spent ₹ 23 lakh towards equipment for 771 specially abled people, ₹ 4.25 crore towards sustenance amount to 11,447 economically weaker people, ₹ 3.41 crore towards scholarships to 9,713 students in the last three months under Sujnananidhi Scholarship scheme, ₹ 4.6 crore towards food kit, medical oxygen, ventilators and oxygen concentrators during the pandemic, etc.
Mr. Manjunath said it was the desire of Sri Heggade that rural development should happen along with individual development and hence all these measures. Besides releasing funds, expert teams would visit villages and offer necessary technical guidance in implementing various projects.
