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CARE India winds up tsunami relief programmes

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Chennai, Jan 25 (IANS) Non-governmental organisation (NGO) CARE India Tuesday formally wound up its three phased tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction programme for the victims of the 2004 calamity.

The organisation has helped around 20,000 families to rebuild their lives devastated by the tsunami that hit the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

'We spent around $32 million during the past six years towards tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities,' said R.N. Mohanty, chief operating officer or CARE India.

Speaking to IANS on the sidelines of a function here Tuesday to celebrate the positive change CARE and its 19 other NGO partners brought into the lives of the tsunami affected, Mohanty said: 'We built 2,128 houses, including 1,828 in Tamil Nadu and 300 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and provided livelihood training to the victims.'

He said CARE India will now start its work with small tea growers in Nilgiri district and help them to plug the gaps in the the skill sets.

'We will study the entire value chain - farm to market- and help the growers in areas they lack expertise,' he added.

Part of the programme is to have organic tea farming on a pilot basis.

Speaking about CARE India's tsunami relief operations and its impact, Mohanty said: 'More than 6,000 households have reported a direct increase in economic activity through strengthened dairy, poulty, goat rearing, micro enterprise development and micro credit options.'

He said almost all the households have leveraged support from government and bank schemes to the value of Rs.10 million.

New salt production methods for salt producers of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh has helped them to earn 33 percent more.

'It has been a great learning experience for us in CARE India working in tsunami relief activities. We are winding up the tsunami related activities as people are ready to be on their own,' said Muhammad Musa, CEO and country director.

'Tsunami has given us many experiences and taught many lessons. God's gift of inner strength came to the fore for many who were affected by the tsunami. If you empower women the whole family will be liberated,' said Krishnammal Jagannathan, noted social service activist.

Lauding the tsunami survivors and the way they gathered their lives and moved ahead, the founder of Sankara Nethralaya, a famous eye hospital chain, said: 'India was a beautiful country but it lost its sheen. We have to bring it back. Change is what is need in every sphere of life as the moral fibre of the country has gone down.'

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Grant management to NGOs in India to be more transparent

New Delhi, Jan 28 (ANI): Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath on Friday said that the transparency in managing grant system was imperative.

She said this while addressing the delegates of voluntary organisations after inaugurating the National Consultation for Evolving an Efficient Grant Management System towards Improving GO-NGO Cooperation in WCD Schemes.

In view of greater penetration of voluntary organisations in far-flung areas, and their demonstrated capabilities in implementation of Five-Year plans, “They were in better position to manage the issues at grass-root level, the Minister said.

She said, more the number of voluntary agencies, higher the pace of development.

“They are the eyes, ears and legs of the government,” she added.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing many schemes with the help of Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs).

The two-day consultations is organised by NIPCCD in order to seek cooperation / participation of NGOs in effective implementation of the Schemes.

The objectives of the consultations are to review the existing pattern, process and procedure of Grant-in-Aid under different schemes.

The consultations recommended evolving a transparent grant management system, creation of a single window system for the grant proposals, timely release of grant requests, simplification of procedures, grievance redressal machinery, and on-line management of grant proposals.

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Children rescued from carpet unit

Bhadohi (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 26 (IANS) Six child labourers from Bihar have been rescued from a carpet manufacturing unit here, officials said Wednesday.The six - aged 10-13 years - were freed late Tuesday during a joint operation carried out by district officials and police in Dulmadspur town.

“Acting on a tip from an NGO, we carried out the operation. But the owner and the other staff of the carpet unit escaped,” Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ranvijay Singh said in Bhadohi, some 250 km from Lucknow.

According to police, all the children came from poor families and were brought to Uttar Pradesh on the pretext of providing education along with high income jobs.