Why can’t Periyar PURA Model be Emulated?
Posted : June 18, 2005 at 11:11 am [IST]
Recently India’s President was addressing the governors of states. His address as usual was unique presented with help of power point slides. He refers to a success story about Periyar PURA (Providing Urban facilities in Rural Areas). I quote the portion of his address.
Recently I had visited Periyar Maniammai college of technology for women and inaugurated a PURA Complex. I thought of sharing with you the developmental concept of a cluster of over 65 villages near Vallam, Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu which involves a population of 3 lakhs. This PURA complex has all the three connectivities - physical, electronic and knowledge - leading to economic connectivity. The center of activity emanates from the women engineering college that provides the electronic and knowledge connectivity. Periyar PURA has health care centers, primary to post graduate level education and vocational training centers. This has resulted in large-scale employment generation and creation of number of entrepreneurs with the active support of 850 self-help groups. Two hundreds acres of waste land has been developed into cultivable land with innovative water management schemes such as contour ponds and water sheds for storing and irrigating the fields. All the villagers are busy in either cultivation, planting Jatropha, herbal and medicinal plants, power generation using biomass, food processing and above all running marketing centres. This model has emanated independent of any government initiative. The Engineering institution has provided the committed leadership. This gives me the confidence that PURA is a realizable proposition and this movement can be multiplied by thousands of entrepreneurs, educational administrators and philanthropic institutions with the support of the government agencies.
Why can’t more and more of the engineering colleges emulate the success story of PM College of engineering? In Bihar too, we have some 3.4 engineering college. Why can’t the authority and faculties of these colleges go for a change and achieve some unique feat such as this? I am sure if the college takes the initiatives and come out with their proposals the government and many other agencies too can certainly provide all the facilities whatever has been given to PM College of engineering.
- Indra
Category: Employment/Education |
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