KOCHI: The day National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers of Providence College came calling at ward six of Mavoor grama panchayat in Kozhikode for a camp turned a blessing for 90-year-old Chakki Amma. A widow, Chakki Amma, had no one to rely on and was living in a dilapidated structure she called home. Deeply affected by her plight, the students decided to build a house for Chakki Amma and her five cats.
The plan was to reconstruct the damaged structure. For funds, the students launched a series of programmes that saw them hold a pani puri challenge, set up a 'thattu kada' (roadside eatery), organise raffle draws, and seek help from collegemates. Their efforts bore fruit, and four months later, Chakki Amma was handed over the key to her house.
This is just one of hundreds of stories etched in the NSS logbook. Over the last five years, NSS units in universities, colleges, and schools in the state have contributed 860 houses.
Speaking to TNIE, Devi Priya D, state nodal officer of NSS, said, “The aim was to construct 1,000 houses in five years. However, after the Mundakkai and Chooralmala landslides, units decided to donate to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). The NSS initially donated Rs 4,38,88,765 to the Wayanad Township Project for the rehabilitation of those who lost their homes in the landslides in Wayanad. Subsequently, we transferred Rs 7,08,123 for the project."
Further explaining the initiative, Devi said the beneficiaries of the housing project are identified by volunteers. "Like in the case of Chakki Amma, volunteers at times come across those in need during camps. NSS units in schools and colleges have also constructed houses for fellow students. These beneficiaries are identified either by their classmates or teachers. There is an initiative called Sahapadikku Oru Veedu,” she added.
Pointing out how constructing a two-bedroom, hall, and kitchen house is not an easy task, Devi said, “Unlike in the past when building materials and labour cost was cheaper, today, each 2BHK house needs anywhere between `7-10 lakh. Units only take up projects where the beneficiaries have land of their own.” Then there are cases where local residents or panchayats provide land to build houses, she added.
According to Minister for Higher Education R Bindu, more houses are under various stages of construction. “Using funds donated by the NSS, it has been decided to construct 100 houses,” she said. According to data released in the assembly the other day, Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) topped the list of institutions with 322 houses constructed in five years.