Shekhawat to launch silver jubilee celebrations of SKDRDP

Dharmastala, Karnataka, Apr 13 (UNI) Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate the year-long silver jubilee celebrations of Sri Kshetra Dharmastala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) and launch several new projects proposed by it, tomorrow.

SKDRDP Executive Director Dr L H Manjunath told UNI here today that Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi would preside over the function, to be attended by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Union Ministers Oscar Fernandes and M V Rajasekharan.

Briefing about the activities of SKDRDP, he said the project, started in 1982 to commemorate the installation of 39 ft monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali here by Dr D Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmastala and SKDRDP Chairman, had now grown into a massive NGO micro financing institution in the country. The project, which initially helped 18,000 poor families of Belthangady Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district to improve their living conditions, was now working in 559 gram panchayats with a 1,300 strong dedicated staff, of whom 50 per cent were women.

Dr Manjunath said the organisation had promoted 45,756 Self Help Groups (SHGs), comprising 4,59,070 small and marginal farmers, labourers and women. Of these, 97,000 small and marginal farmers have contributed 1,35,17,130 man days to convert 50,000 hectares of barren land into productive land.

He said the organisation had member savings of Rs 66.13 crore and a credit turnover of Rs 476.12 crore. To ensure that the earning was not wasted on vices, the SKDRDP had facilitated de-addiction programmes in 160 villages, helping over 20,000 quit alcoholism.

He said that through rural developmental activities, the SKDRDP was providing necessary assistance to take up agriculture and allied activities and building capacities for planning and implementing various livelihood activities. It had also involved itself in the multiple task of rural development by acting as a catalyst to consolidate the rural resources for various activities like rural development, women empowerment, awareness about de-addiction and exclusive pragathibandhu model for small and marginal farmers besides SHGS and technology transfer for improving the farm produce.

Later, on a request from the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Financial Corporation, SKDRDP came into being in the urban slums of Mangalore, Udupi, Kundapura and Sirsi, he added.

UNI