The Hindu : Cluster houses for Aravanis in Villupuram

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Cluster houses for Aravanis in Villupuram

By Our Special Correspondent

VILLUPURAM, FEB. 13 . For the first time in Tamil Nadu, cluster houses have been built for Aravanis at Ayyankoilpattu near here. According to the Collector, K.Gopal, 10 dwelling units have been built at a cost of Rs 3.40 lakhs.

The Collector who visited the village on Thursday noted that the Aravanis here formed a Self-Help Group, and the cluster houses were allotted to its members. In the next financial year, 21 more dwelling units would be built.

The Collector directed officials to sink two deep borewells and install streetlights, including two solar lamps, in the village. Under the Total Sanitation Scheme, a common toilet facility would also be built there, he noted.

Mr Gopal called upon the Aravanis to raise kitchen gardens and also plant saplings in the cluster. The SHG there had obtained a loan of Rs 25,000 and revolving fund of Rs 25,000 for running small eateries, breeding milch animals and selling flowers.

The Aravanis demand grant of loans for starting fancy stores and for producing papads. They asked the Collector to provide them with opportunities to stage cultural shows.

Mr Gopal advised the officials to prepare skits for the Aravanis for propagating the significance of the total sanitation programme.

The toys made of paper mache and plaster of paris had good demand from places such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Salem and Tiruchi.

Later, the Collector visited the Janakipuram SHG that was running the Milk Producers' Cooperative Society there. The Society remained defunct for about 25 years, and after handing over it to the SHG, it was now being run profitably.

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