KHUSHI IS 5 YEARS OLD TODAY - CELEBRATING CARE FOR THE DEPRIVED CHILDREN

We are very proud to inform you that the Campaign “KHUSHI” that we started on 10^th April, 2012 is 5 years old today. During these years, we have organized several online discussions/debate, ground level workshops with street children, Awards and “KHUSHI” Walk and also direct interaction with thousands of school children to sensitize them about Care for the Deprived Children – their Nutrition, Education & Health.

Our “KHUSHI” Film ‘Humko Mann Ki Shakti Dena’ has been viewed by more than 7.6 million people across the globe – reaching to over 2 crore people, over 200,000 shares, 100,000 likes and 2000 comments. Here, today we celebrate the “KHUSHI” Day with our more than 225,000 followers.

VEDANTA KHUSHI : SPREADING MESSAGE ON CHILD CARE – THEIR NUTRITION, HEALTH AND EDUCATION

Vedanta Group has a strong focus towards care for the underprivileged children. Since 2008 the group has got associated with about 14,000 child care centres in India, reaching out to about 500,000 rural children – for their nutrition, health and education. Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman -Vedanta Group says, “No child in India should be deprived of nutrition, health and primary education. Let us make India a child malnourished free nation.”

India houses the largest number of children in the world but it is also home for largest malnourished children and largest child deaths.  Government, corporate and NGOs are doing their bit, but today common people need to come forward and help these underprivileged children.

With this focus Vedanta Group launched “KHUSHI”, a 100%  non-funding global child care campaign, that pro-actively engages with different sets of people through direct interventions and encourages them to take individual steps towards child care.

See few amazing pictures of "KHUSHI" Centres at Zawar in Rajasthan :- 

VEDANTA KHUSHI: TIMES OF INDIA: RAJSAMAND KIDS’ LEARNING LEVEL HITS NEW LOW

Survey Also Highlights Increasing Drop-Out In Schools, Widening Teacher-Student Ratio

Rajsamand: The marble town Rajsamand which produces 90% of India's white marble has registered lowest basic learning levels among students in Rajasthan in the last five years. The percentage of students of classes III to V who can do subtraction has reduced from 41.3% in 2009 to 27.8% in 2013. The percentage of students who are out of schools has increased from 2.6% in 2009 to 5.2% in 2013.

As per the Annual Status of Education Report, widening pupil-teacher ratio, poor quality of mid-day meals and no water facility are prevalent in majority of schools. But so far no political party has shown concern to make these issues their poll plank. 

Both BJP and Congress candidates are riding on issues like Pakistan, terrorism, Gujarat model, inflation, jobs, opening of new schools and hospitals. Manju Khatik, a social activists based in Rajsamand, said, “Three schools in two gram panchayats Bhatoli and Maduri were closed by the government this year. This decision caused 200 students to forcibly drop out. We have adopted 40 students and are teaching them at our NGO Jatan sansthan. The rest of the students are either working or have left the city in search of work,” said Khatik. She added that ignoring these issues has highlighted the indifference of political parties towards the city. 

TOI asked the BJP national vice president and MLA Rajsamand Kiran Maheshwari to explain the reasons behind the decline in learning levels. She passed the buck on the Gehlot government for ignoring the education sector leaving a gross imbalance in the pupil-teacher ratio. “The district had faced government indifference for last five years. Here 130 schools don't have a single teacher leading to drastic fall in the learning levels,” said Maheshwari. 

She assured that once the code of conduct is over, BJP government will begin the hiring of teachers to put the education system on track. Sitting Congress MP Gopal Singh Shekawat is promising complete implementation of Right to Education Act here. “Our party enacted this act and we are serious about providing free and compulsory education,” said Shekawat.