NSS, IIT Roorkee in association with Cognizance, 2009 (The Annual Technical Festival of IIT Roorkee) is carrying out a case study on Kaliyar under the name

Ruraisle

A step for Rural Transformation

Kaliyar is a pilgrimage center visited by thousands of people across the globe. It is situated about 2 km from the National Highway and lies on the banks of the Ganga Canal and is half hour drive from Roorkee.

The tourism industry gives people an opportunity to make easy money. Parents send their children out to beg or to work as waiters at major tourist spots rather than sending them to schools. When asked upon the reason the parents complained that even the educated populace of the village is not able to obtain and keep jobs. This creates a notion of futility of education. On an average, a child begging on the street is able to earn Rs. 50-80 per day.

In such a scenario, a case study has to be done on the following lines

1. A provision for generation of employment
2. A proposal to change the mindset of the general population towards education with the goal to:
   

• Discourage the practice of begging
• Instill the value of education into the minds of the people

• 
  

Resources Available :

1. A canal, diverted from the river Ganges, having a moderate flow

2. A government primary school

3. A private Inter College (teaching students upto std. XII)

4. 3 tuition centres run by the pilgrimage centre holds classes for

students with a major focus on Urdu and Hindi only.

5. Any other resources you may be able to discover on the Internet

Population : 15,000, unvarying demography

Other Problems : Water, Electricity and Sanitation during tourist season

Occupation : Agricultural land minimal, seasonal occupations.

To visit the Ruraisle webpage click here.

For the original problem statement, click here.

Contact:

Sumeet Gupta
+919456320894
sumeet.sum1987@gmail.com

Gireesh Gera
+919997807676
gireeshgera@gmail.com

Medicinal Plant Distribution

NSS is conducting a distribution of plants with medicinal value, specially obtained from Pathanjali Yogpeeth, in Ravindra Bhawan next week. This is aimed mainly at the well being of the environment and the health of students. The details of the programme are as follows:

• Each plant costs only Rs. 30/-
  

• These plants have medicinal value: adding fresh oxygen in students' room, dandruff control and leaves with digestion control capability, to name a few.

• Many other types of ayurvedic plants will also be made available.

• NSS will also be delivering other plants needed, including flower bearing plants of various varieties.

The names of plants to be distributed are:

1. Flower bearing plants: Kehl , Baby Doll, Saplera, Bigonia
2. Medicinal Plants: Ashvgandha, Tulsi, Piabasa, Bramni, Khatmi, etc

The interested students are requested to send their names and names of plants needed to

K. Swagat

Room No : S-87, Ravindra Bhawan

swagatata@gmail.com

+91-9837335694

NIRMAN- Carving Future

The construction activity in IIT Roorkee campus is going on in a full fledged basis in order to accommodate more and more students to the "developing" IIT system so that the newly arrived students have greater comfort. The dark part of this construction activity in the construction work is the lifestyle and development of those who are sacrificing everything in order to add to our comfort. Their children once studied but their rapid migration have kept them away from joining schools.

NSS had taken its initiative to educate these children last year in front of the NCC canteen. This activity continued fairly well. These children were also taken to a movie that was being screened in IITR and to to Srishti, the annual exhibition of Hobbies Club.

This year we have resumed our activity of teaching the construction workers in co-ordination with Cognizance '09 under the name

Nirman - Carving future
for those who are carving our future with their own at stake

Feel free to join hands with NSS in order to teach these students. We have this programme running daily at the NCC Canteen Verandah from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Contact:
Praveen Sehrawat
(P.G. Student Representative)
+91-90276043604
amnithari@gmail.com

EDUSLUM- Mainstreaming the slum children to formal education

NSS IIT Roorkee has been working in the village Teliwala for the education of children and aiming at serving the larger cause of Rural Transformation. Teliwala is a small village near Roorkee Railway station. There is a slum adjoining the village. Most of the people in the slum are migrants from BASTI district in UP. They have migrated to this place 15 years back and go back to their native place for 3-4 months each year. Unfortunately, for the remaining 8-9 months almost all the residents in the slum earn their livelihoods from begging at civil lines and other places and that Includes children as well.

There are are around 80 children above 5 years of age who live there and are engaged in begging and other such activities. As a result they are deprived of education and other basic facilities. NSS is planning to work for the upliftment of these children by educating them. To serve this purpose we interacted with the parents of these children and they gave us very positiveve response.

NSS, IIT Roorkee in co-ordination with Cognizance 2009, the Annual Technical Festival of IIT Roorkee has started "EDUSLUM", an initiative to educate these slum children at the Teliwala Primary School(behind Roorkee Railway Station) from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm daily. The duration of camp will be for one month.

Interested volunteers should contact:
Naga M. Reddy
+91-9719278700
nagamreddya.ar@gmail.com