To begin with, Mr. Vaikunth started funding these Projects out of his own personal funds. But, since it meant a great financial strain on him, he formed a Trust named as “Sree Balaji Seva Trust” in October 2002 and got the benefit of exemption from IT u/s 80G of the Income Tax Act, in respect of the donations received.

Under this program, which was personally evolved by Mr. Vaikunth, to begin with, four prisoners involved in various criminal cases and who have completed their sentence, after availing remission for good conduct, were rehabilitated. These prisoners were trained for a duration of three months at the Indian Institute of Leather Products, (IILP), Ambattur, Chennai, in the manufacture of leather products. Later they were trained for further period of 3 months in Vaniyambadi for hands-on-experience. This enabled them to start their self-employment units.

So far training of one batch of four prisoners has been conducted and all of them are now self-employed in the manufacture of leather products. The initial training was for about three months, i.e. from August 2002 to October 2002 and further training from April 2003 to June 2003.

The vocational training in the design and manufacture of garments for 3 women prisoners, involved in various offences, after their release, has been started from March 2004 in the Apparel Design and Training Center, Guindy, Chennai.

Experience has shown that for a lot of problems affecting the society, it is not as though that the Government alone could be the savior, it has to involve a lot of community initiatives.

These Projects were hence crystallized – in terms of specific program for helping the physically challenged persons, which Mr. Vaikunth has personally evolved. In this program, covering a period of six months, training is being given in the manufacture of leather products for ten physically challenged persons for six months and 20 in a year.

Mr. Vaikunth is personally involved in the exercise of identifying the beneficiaries who are from the poorest sections of the society and funding the Project in terms of stipend for 10 trainees @ Rs.25/- per working day, initially from his own personal resources and later from the Trust he has created. The Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) is helping him in giving training in the manufacture of leather products. At the end of the training all the candidates in the first two batches have been given jobs in the leather industry.

The first batch of training of 10 children went through the Vocational Training from August 2002 to January 2003 and all of them have got jobs, thanks to the initiative taken by Mr. Vaikunth. The training for the second batch from July 2003 to December 2003 has also concluded and they have all been absorbed in leather industry in and around Chennai City. The training for the third batch has started from January 18, 2004. The training for the fourth batch is to commence in June 2004.

With all our development plans, there is still acute unemployment in the country and quite a sizeable percentage of people are below poverty line. This position is much worse in the case of orphan children with some of them even after +2 qualification ending up as menial servants or have taken to deviant behavior.

This Project, which was evolved personally by Mr. Vaikunth, focuses attention on such people with a view to imparting them skills in computer operation either as Data Entry Operators or Assistant to Programmers. A special syllabus has been drawn for this purpose.

The salient features of this Project are:

• Pick out young boys and girls on merit at the +2 level, to begin with 15 in number,
  without any consideration towards their caste, creed or religion.
• Put them through a practical computer course, free of cost, with training modules
  so structured that at the end of it they become employable either as Data Entry
  Operators or Programmers.
• Make sincere efforts to sponsor them for employment.
• Give scope for further development as and when proficiency is spotted among
  them and ultimately develop them as “Software Engineers’.
• A sum of Rs.25/- each for the 15 students (10 girls and 5 boys) as out of pocket
  allowance for each day for the entire duration of six months, amounting to Rs.44,000/- was being borne by Mr. Vaikunth from his personal funds up to October 2002 and later it was met from the Trust fund after the creation of the Trust in October 2002. Four such batches have been gone through and out of the 60 children trained so far in four batches, 15 persons were given jobs. The rest had either taken to higher education or got settled in life.

The fifth batch is to be launched in June 2004.

It has been proved by experience that for a lot of problems affecting the society, it is not as though that the Government alone could be the savior, it has to involve a lot of community initiatives.

One such programme relates to development of rural areas. Under this, Mr. Vaikunth has adopted the Paranoor Village near Chengelpet on the outskirts of Chennai City, with the help of official agencies. Paranoor Village is a hamlet coming within the purview of Veerapuram Panchayat Union with a total population of 2500. The village has been adopted with a view to help the villagers in getting their basic needs like water supply, roads, medical facilities, literacy, sanitation and the likes. He is also planning to contribute towards construction of sanitation facilities for the village in respect of which the Project Report is awaited.

In this village, since there are already Government schemes for water supply and roads, and the official agencies have promised to take up these works expeditiously, Mr. Vaikunth has taken up medical cover and literacy programme in terms of providing facilities for primary school and sanitation for the village.

To begin with, Mr. Vaikunth took up provision of facilities for the primary school in the village, with total student strength of 156. They were totally lacking in facilities like Desk or Bench and the children were squatting on the floor. Mr. Vaikunth hence donated 32 benches and 32 desks for these Primary School children, costing around Rs.1,88,000/- These benches and desks were distributed on 2nd October 2002 to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, in a function in the village. That day, it was also proposed to supplement Government’s efforts towards provision of sanitation.

Mr. Vaikunth has also taken up the medical cover for the villagers and the first screening was held on 15th August 2002. The medical team consists of Doctors both from Government and Private Agencies. Serious cases are being referred to the Chengelpet Medical College Hospital. Thereafter, it is proposed to have medical camps once in 15 days, by an arrangement with the Collector of Chengelpet.

An Appeal :

Mr. Vaikunth would like to appeal to philanthropists to contribute liberally to these noble causes. Cheques can be sent in favour of Sree Balaji Seva Trust to

33, Bishop Gardens
Off Greenways Road,
Raja Annamalai Puram,
Chennai – 600 028,
India.