Project Prerepana launched in Mysore for slum development

Mysore, Aug 7 (UNI) 'Project Prerepana' was today launched by N R Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the city-based agarbathi manufacturers N Ranga Rao and Sons, to promote sustainable development in the city slums, with the focus on women and child welfare in education and health.

Speaking to newspersons here, N R Group Chairman R Guru said ''education has always been close to our hearts and we have been encouraged to take up the project towards this cause. We have lent our full support to this project. With the awareness and education programmes, the Foundation has faith that these slums will attain sustainable development in due course.'' Stating that health and education were two critical components of human development, he said the project, focussing on these two realms, would be implemented in six slums in the city and later extended to other slums. Nearly 450 students have been identified for this purpose and it would begin with two day centres and three evening centres to provide education to school drop outs. It would also take up regular health check up for the targeted children, thereby ensuring their physical well being.

Dr R Balasurbramaniam, President of the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), the implementing agency of the project, said the selected slums have close to 600 children in the age group of 3-16 and the main objective of the project was to promote schooling among them. SVYM was increasingly looking at community development as a partnership between corporates, community and development agenices.

Awareness generation, sensitisation programmes, setting up of learning centres, career guidance and counselling, and strengthening of community-based institutions were some activities planned under the project, he added.

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