BITS alumni say 'Thank you' to mess workers with insurance scheme

New Delhi, Aug 21 (UNI) Twenty-five years after they passed out of the institute, a group of BITS, Pilani, alumni has put a premium on their love for the workers of the hostel mess.

The students of the 1975-80 batch of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science yesterday came together to start a group insurance scheme for the mess workers and their families.

The BITS alumni launched the scheme at their institute campus naming it after Barn Madhab Baruah, one of their batchmates, who died last year.

''We want to give a human dimension to the alumni initiatives. The mess workers are a community which is part of the campus, though they are not fully into the mainstream,'' said the batch spokesperson Ishwar Koneru.

''They need the support the most. Therefore we focused on this community to start with. Improving the living conditions of mess workers, immediately as well as in the long term is our objective There was good response from other members of the alumni to the idea,'' he said.

The scheme will benefit 176 mess workers serving in the 12 hostels of the institute and their families.

Prof. V S Rao, the BITS Deputy Director, who received the group insurance policy documents on behalf of the institute, lauded the alumni initiative. The institute will provide all support and cooperation in the operation of the scheme, Prof. Rao said.

Prof. R K Mittal, President of the BITS Alumni Association, said BITSIANs develop an emotional bond with their mess and any alumnus, who re-visits the campus does not fail in having a meal at the student mess.

Several students of the 1975-80 batch attended the function along with the mess workers, hostel wardens, students and teachers.

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