The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Over 2000 students benefit under book bank scheme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 24, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Over 2000 students benefit under book bank scheme

Special Correspondent

Rajasthan Youth Association's scheme has so far covered 55,000 students The association also runs affiliates in the form of medicine bank and food bank to help the needy

CHARITY ACT: The Governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, distributing textbooks to a student as part of a programme of the Rajasthan Youth Association in Chennai on Sunday. The U.S. Consul General, David Hopper, is seen at the extreme right. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

CHENNAI: More than 2000 students became the new batch of beneficiaries of the Rajasthan Youth Association's (RYA) book bank on Sunday. Each student in the first year of his/her arts, science or engineering under graduate programme in different colleges in the city, got a set of textbook for his/her branch of study under the RYA's book bank scheme.

The scheme started over 42 years ago with just 25 students has so far covered 55,000 young men and women. On Sunday, 2100 students received their textbooks for the first year from the Governor Surjit Singh Barnala at a function organised by the association at Kamarajar Arangam.

They will come back to the RYA book bank after the first year, return the textbooks and take those pertaining to the second year of study. Already over 4,000 senior level college students had received the textbooks this year, said, Sunil Bardia, president of the RYA. He said the association also ran affiliates in the form of medicine bank and food bank to help the needy. The book bank chairman, Rajesh Kumar Jain, said the books were distributed to students based on their income and merit, regardless of caste, creed or gender.

Mr. Barnala lauded the service of the RYA. He also paid tributes to the Rajasthani community in the State for their enthusiasm and dedication to help the poor through charitable activities. The Consul General of the United States Consulate General in Tamil Nadu, David Hopper, quoting American thinker Benjamin Franklin to say that education was one investment that got the maximum interest, urged the students to use the tools in the form of textbook to pursue their education with vigour. He invited the students to join the 80,000 young Indian citizens already studying in universities in the Unites States. He gave away merit awards to beneficiaries of the RYA's book bank projects, who had distinguished themselves in college studies. Ritesh Mohta, RYA secretary and committee member, Sanjay Bhansali said the students were given a specific number which they would quote every time to get the books during the graduation period.

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