On behalf of the State Bank of Travancore, State Bank Group chairman Pratip Chaudhuri handed over a cheque for Rs 10 lakh to Shanti Jayanthasri, director, Shanti Bhavan Educational Trust, Baliganapalli, Tamil Nadu, for installing solar panels in the school and for academic expenses.
An ambulance for Poojappura Asha Bhavan Women’s Centre was also presented on the occasion.
Pratip Chaudhari handed over the key of the ambulance to Asha Bhavan superintendent Geetha Kumari.
Shanti Bhavan, a home and school for economically and socially-disadvantaged children, was established in August 1997 under the George Foundation to help mostly dalit children in rural Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
The school takes in children as young as four-years-old, whose families are below the poverty level and those who have never been exposed to any form of education and financially supports them throughout school and college.
The curriculum adopted is that of ICSE and Shanti Bhavan is the first school for dalits in the country to achieve first division by all its graduates in ICSE exams.
SBT managing director P Nanda Kumaran, SBI managing director S Viswanathan, SBT chief general managers Sajeev Krishnan and E K Harikumar and community services manager Boban P Abraham were also present.