Working capital to Amrita SHGs distributed

KOLLAM: Mata Amritanandamayi Matt on Tuesday distributed working capital to 101 Amrita self help groups as part of its efforts to provide employment to one lakh women. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy inaugurated the distribution of the working capital at a function organised at the Amritapuri Ashram in the presence of Mata Amritanandamayi.

M P Veerendrakumar MP distributed the working capital to Krishnamritha self help group for starting a fashion designing institution. Former athlete P T Usha distributed the annual grant for 18 village libraries and arts and sports clubs.

Oommen Chandy, in his inaugural address, said that during the last three years the state had faced two major tragedies; tsunami disaster and farmers’ suicides. On both occasions, Mata Amritanandamayi had come forward to support the dependents of the victims. Veerendrakumar in his address said that Mata was lifting the one lakh families to a “zone of hope” by providing them employment opportunities.

He said if the government had asked the Matt to help all the families affected by tsunami no family would have been left with any complaints. Wherever there is sorrow, Mata’s love will be showered there in abundance, he said.

Dhanalakshmi Bank chief manager M Muralidharan also attended the function. Mata Amritanandamayi had launched two welfare projects on her 54th birthday on September 29, 2007.

Under these projects, the Matt would provide monthly scholarships to 30,000 children of the families affected by farmers’ suicides in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The other project was aimed at providing working capital to 5,000 self help groups (Amrita Swasraya Sangham) and thereby helping 1 lakh women to find employment. 1,500 self helf groups have been constituted so far under this scheme.

Five hundred women have been trained in various vocations and made eligible for finding employment on their own or through self help groups. Amritanandamayi Matt vice-chairman Amritaswaroopananda Puri welcomed the guests.

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