Date:08/02/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/02/08/stories/2005020813190300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Arivoli Iyakkam volunteers left in the lurch

By Saptarshi Bhattacharya

CHENNAI, FEB. 7. Community volunteers of Arivoli Iyakkam, the Central Government's total literacy initiative in the city, are upset with the Chennai Corporation because they have not been paid their monthly honorarium for the last nine months.

A section of the volunteers protested before Corporation officials recently saying that the civic body was using their services, but they were not being given the monthly honorarium.

They said they depended on the money to pay their children's school fees. Besides Arivoli Iyakkam, the volunteers have also been part of the civic body's campaigns on HIV/AIDS, solid waste management, survey of public conveniences in the city and the clean Marina drive.

Staff involved in the implementation of the scheme, who wished to remain anonymous, said that since May 2004, the Central funds for the current year was yet to reach the State Literacy Mission Authority. The delay is attributed to the parliamentary elections and the change of guard at the Centre.

The State body, however, received a letter from New Delhi recently stating that the funds for the current year had been sanctioned and would be disbursed shortly.

The civic body officials were in a quandary whether to terminate the services of the volunteers as the centres had materials, furniture and electrical equipment worth several lakhs of rupees, official sources said.

The city has 330 community volunteers, known as continuing education coordinators or preraks, implementing the scheme. They are paid Rs. 750 as honorarium every month and are asked to man a continuing education centre (CEC).

Community-specific

The literacy scheme envisages the setting up of CECs and nodal CECs that follow an area-specific and community-based approach. Each CEC serves a population of about 1,500 to 2,000 in each village or locality, with 10 such centres forming a Nodal CEC.

The CECs serve as a library and reading room for the community they cater to, a teaching-learning centre for continuing education programmes and a vocational training centre. They also act as a composite information window for the community, cultural, sports and recreation centres, extension centres for facilities of other development departments and discussion forums for sharing ideas and solving problems.