Koraga families pledge to develop kitchen garden, maintain cleanliness

Labour Day was observed in a unique manner at Kukkadakatte Tribal Colony in Balepuni Gram Panchayat jurisdiction, by administering a pledge to maintain cleanliness and to give priority to education and health, among 26 Koraga families.

As a part of Madari Grama Abhiyana, Jana Shikshana Trust, Adivasi Abhivrudhi Sangha, Chithara Balaga and others organised the ‘Arivu-Neravu-Sankalpa’ programme on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), in the premises of the house of one Santhosh.

Koraga is an aboriginal tribe of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts which is notified as a primitive tribe.

All the 26 Koraga families in the colony have taken a pledge to work towards maintaining cleanliness in their surroundings and develop kitchen gardens by planting fruit-bearing saplings and also take up jasmine cultivation in the available land in the surroundings of their houses, by utilising the benefits under MGNREGS.

Jana Shikshana Trust Director Sheena Shetty said, “All the Koraga families were also urged to give emphasis to the education of their children. There are a few children who have dropped out of school in the colony. The 'Arivu-Neravu-Sankalpa’ programme decided to encourage such children to continue their studies so that they do not fall prey to bad habits and are empowered educationally.”

“Awareness was created among the families on utilising the benefits under MGNREGS for developing kitchen gardens in the vicinity of the houses and also taking up jasmine cultivation for livelihood. Already, Guruva, a Koraga beneficiary in the colony, has developed an arecanut garden by availing the benefits under MGNREGS,” Shetty told DH.

Awareness was created among families on segregating waste at the source and that dry waste can be sold to the scrap dealers to fetch money.

In fact, during the Grama Vastavya of Deputy Commissioner Dr Rajendra K V on March 19, Jana Shikshana Trust had urged the DC to direct officials to prepare an action plan for the development of Kukkudakatte Kere. By rejuvenating the water body, the groundwater table can be improved and also steps can be taken to overcome water woes in the village. Following the Grama Vastavya, the officials had collected details on the status of the Koraga community in the colony, said Shetty.

Entrepreneur Ramesh Shenava called upon the families to overcome bad habits and cultivate good habits to come up in life.