Karnataka - Madikeri   

50 years in service of women, children

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI, MAY 15. The Kodagu District Council for Child Welfare, started in 1948 as a branch of the United Nations Appeal for Children, was only the second such institution in the country. It was registered in 1953 in the then Coorg State (Part C State) and converted into a district body after its merger with the then Mysore State.

Now called the Kodagu District Council for Child Welfare, the voluntary organisation, which enjoys the support of the Union and the State governments, has come a long way since its inception in helping needy women and children. The man who evinced keen interest in setting up the institution and accounting for its growth was Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, who was its chairman from 1957 to 1975.

In 1965, the Karnataka State Council for Child Welfare was formed and the district council affiliated itself to it. The council, the aim of which is to work for ensuring every right of the child, has been playing a role in ensuring full utilisation of the Government benefits for women and children in the district, says Seetalakshmi Ramachandra, who has been at the helm of the council for many years now.

To mark its 50th year, the council is planning to construct Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Memorial Women and Children Complex at its site here soon. It will have a library with audio and video facilities, a museum, an auditorium, a gymnasium and a recreation centre, a holiday home, a home for destitute children and a well-equipped children's park. As for women, the plan includes construction of a guidance centre for counselling, hostels and old-age homes, Ms. Ramachandra says.

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