The ‘Amrita RITE-Rural India Tablet Education’, a programme designed for after-school tutoring and adult literacy among the rural folk with the use of custom developed tablet computers, was unveiled on the occasion the 60th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi on Friday at Amritapuri near here.
The e-learning project was launched by Mata by handing over a tablet to Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor. The project would be initiated in the villages adopted by the Math.
The Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi unveiled a package to provide free surgeries worth `50 crore to the poor.
The package included free kidney transplants, cardiac surgeries and cancer treatment.
Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan and Union Minister Oscar Fernandes gave away the beneficiary certificates. Shashi Tharoor distributed the Math’s financial assistance of `1 lakh each to the families of the nine persons killed in a boat tragedy in Alappuzha earlier this year.
The event also witnessed the extension of various welfare programmes of the Math including Amrita Nidhi Pension Programme (beneficiaries extended to 69,000 from the current 59,000) and Vidyamritam Student Scholarship programme (beneficiaries extended to 46,000 from 41,000).
Amritakeerthi Puraskar
The Amritakeerti Puraskar National Award for writer and literary critic Manoj Das and Amritakeerti Puraskar State Award for Thuravoor Viswambharan were also presented on the occasion. Three books written by the disciples of Mata were also released. ‘Colours of the Rainbow’ by Math vice-chairman Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri was released by Shashi Tharoor by handing over a copy to Ron Gottsegen, president of Mata Amritanandamayi Centre, US. Mata released the books ‘Guru Sishya Bandham Oru Hridayalayanam’ written by Swami Thuriyamritananda Puri by handing over a copy to Uttar Pradesh former Chief Minister Jagdambika Pal and ‘The Fragrance of Pure Love’ by Swamini Krishnamrita Prana by handing over a copy to Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
The Minister also released the souvenir of Amritavarsham 60-’Matruvani’. ‘Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi- The Impact of Her Life & Teachings in Societal Transformation’, a study conducted by the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram on Mata’s life and teachings, was released by senior BJP leader O Rajagopal.