Karnataka - Hassan   

Caring for the abandoned babies

With love: Members of Kamadhenu Sahakari Vidyashrama Chaitanya Mandira taking care of the abandoned babies in Hassan on Thursday.

HASSAN: Kamadhenu Sahakari Vidyashrama Chaitanya Mandira on the outskirts of Hassan was started in 2004 and has 60 senior citizens, including 24 women.

On Thursday, it launched Sishu Palana Kendra, where six abandoned babies were provided shelter. The children will be looked after by the senior members of the institution. The kendra was inaugurated by Shalini Rajaneesh, Secretary, Women and Child Development.

The babies will be taken care of till they attain the age of six, and then they will be put up for adoption. If they are not adopted by anyone, they will be raised by the institution itself.

Gururaja Hebbar, social worker, and his wife Swarnalatha Hebbar started the institution in 1999. Dr. Gururaja Hebbar had many of his patients enquiring about old age homes, and they were mostly abandoned by their families.

Even when he referred them to a few old age homes outside Hassan district, they were either not admitted there or hefty donation was sought from them. This prompted him to start a society, and he himself took charge as president.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said that it took them five years to establish it.

The couple began with Rs.15 lakh, which they collected from its then 140 members. Later, they got a donation of Rs. 35 lakh from a philanthropist. After this, they purchased a piece of land and constructed a building at a cost of Rs. 16 lakh.

The institution has an advisory committee under the chairmanship of the Hassan MLA.

The committee looks after the admission of members to the institution. The members are required to get the age proof documents certified by the tahsildars.

There is no admission fee, and accommodation and food is free for all members. There are separate quarters for men and women.

There is also a regular medical check-up for the people there.

The institution has a garden where vegetables and coconuts are grown. Recently, F.R. Jamaadar, Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat, released Rs. 2.75 lakh for setting up a gobar gas plant. The institution has 16cows, including 10 that were donated by Ramachandrapura Math.

Parvathamma (70), a member, is a retired Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM). She looks after the other members when they are sick. She is the inspiration for starting Sishu Palana Kendra.

Dr. Gururaja Hebbar said they had deposited Rs. 68,000 to the Education Department three years ago for allotment of site to start a school.

The Government has released Rs. 2.07-lakh grant this year.

Under the Swarna Jayanthi Rozgar Yojana, a grant of Rs. 3 lakh has been given by zilla panchayat for the construction of goshala.

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