Rai urges govt to set-up rehabilitation centre for endosulfan victims

Rai urges govt to set-up rehabilitation centre for endosulfan victims

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru: September 7, 2015: District minister B Ramanath Rai said that he will write to the government to set up a permanent rehabilitation centre for endosulfan victims through Dakshina Kannada District Endosulfan Victims Multipurpose Cooperative Society.

 

Chairing a meeting on endosulfan rehabilitation on Saturday, Rai said that a permanent rehabilitation centre for endosulfan victims should be opened through the new multipurpose cooperative society. The society should work more responsibly for the welfare endosulfan victims and their family members. He directed deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim to take a decision on Jilla Endosulfan Virodhi Horata Samiti’s demand of naming the endosulfan rehabilitation package after A P J Abdul Kalam. Rai also directed the DC to find a suitable land.

"There is a provision to extend primary education for endosulfan victims at their doorsteps through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyana. However, there are no such facilities for victims who want to pursue higher education. I will write to the government seeking special provision for endosulfan victims to pursue higher education," Rai said.

Society president Gangarathna Vasanth said that the main objective of setting up a multipurpose cooperative society include rehabilitation of endosulfan victims, taking care of their health, providing free treatment and medicines, distribution of various scheme benefits, supply of food grains to family members, educational aid, self-employment scheme and opening care centres.

He said there are 17 working members in the society, which was registered in March 2015. As many as 3,618 victims have been identified and stipend is being distributed to all except 251 persons. A sum of Rs 9.01 crore was released as stipend for victims from 2013 to 2015, he said.