The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Cuddalore News : Information centres for tsunami-hit villages

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore

Information centres for tsunami-hit villages

By Our Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE, MARCH 30. Oxfam India, along with the Madhar Nala Thondu Maiyam and the Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OFERR), is setting up computerised "village information centres (VICs)" in five tsunami-affected villages in Cuddalore district, to give hands-on training to women.

The first centre, equipped with a laptop and a landline telephone, has come up at Thazhanguda near here. The other VICs would be set up at Singarathope, Akkaraigori, Rasapettai and Sothikuppam.

The welfare organisations believe that through these centres women could access information that would enable them to plan their economic empowerment.

The VICs would provide daily news, weather reports, commodity prices, information on government schemes and data on women's self-help groups. Six SHG members from each village are being trained; one of them would be assigned the task of updating the news.

Bi-lingual software

For women's easy understanding, a bi-lingual software, in Tamil and English, has been provided. The web site details of all top Government officials have also been compiled for ready reference.

Inaugurating the Thazhanguda VIC today, the Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, said the women operating these centres could help other members send e-mail to their relatives living abroad, for which they could collect a nominal fee. Through these centres, villagers could also obtain details of how to get old age pension, patta and so on, Mr. Bedi added.

The director-designate of Oxfam India, Bharti Patel, said the VICs would also provide women the forum to discuss their economic pursuits.

Ms. Patel said the tsunami had brought people from various parts of the globe to the affected villages, thus strengthening human bonding at a time of crisis. She hoped the centre would enable women to use their time productively to improve their standards of living.

By coming together and working in unison, the traumatised people could derive strength to resume their livelihood, Ms. Patel said.

Mobile medicare

Mr. Bedi inaugurated the "Mobile medicare service" launched by HelpAge India at Thazhanguda. The mobile service, costing about Rs. 7 lakhs, would provide health care to the aged in all tsunami-affected villages in the district, and would have a medicine stock worth Rs. 40,000.

The project director of HelpAge India, S. Dass, said the medicare service would be available to those who were 58 and above. The van would visit the villages on weekdays, and two medical teams would attend on patients, he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Information centres for tsunami-hit villages