Adopt local villages for welfare

As part of its programme to take up “socially relevant projects,” Indian Institute of Technology, Madras recently announced that it would provide conceptual and funding support to a rural health care project in Kancheepuram district. In collaboration with Hand in Hand, a non-governmental organization working in the field of rural health care, the project was conceived by IIT-Madras to bring health care facilities to the doorsteps of rural masses.

There are a number of government initiatives, but corruption and awareness are major issues in India. While the former prevents the benefits from percolating to the masses the later actually hinders the facilities from being used even after percolation of the benefits.

So, instead of creating parallel structures, big corporations, institutes, etc. which can afford time and money for the same, should adopt neighboring villages and towns. While this will include the much necessary humanities education and projects for students and employees, it will also tackle the lack of resources in small villages in a distributed way.