Ranchi. Ekal Gramothan Foundation News is an initiative of the Ekal Abhiyan that works towards economically empowering farmers and needy women and men. The foundation will now focus on strengthening the economy of border villages as well.
Special attention will also be given to tribal areas. This decision was made during the two-day national executive meeting of the Ekal Gramothan Foundation, which began on Friday at Hotel Green Horizon in Ranchi. Regarding this, the foundation’s Chairman, Lakshmi Narayan Goel, stated that so far, 1.2 million farmers have been trained in organic farming along with techniques to increase the yield of various products.
Approximately 1.15 million rural young men and women have received skill development training. From next year, the goal is to train 250,000 rural youths annually in computer skills.
Increase in the Number of Computers on Wheels
Currently, 47 Computers on Wheels are operational in different states across the country. There are plans to increase this number by 15 to 20 each year. Goel explained that Computers on Wheels are buses equipped with 12 laptops each.
These buses spend two months in a village, providing computer training to the local people. Goel emphasized that among the five dimensions of the Ekal Abhiyan, the primary goal of the Ekal Gramothan Foundation is to make villages economically self-sufficient.
To achieve this, women in villages are being provided with various types of training to connect them with self-employment opportunities. Simultaneously, needy youths are being trained in repairing mobiles, vehicles, TVs, etc., to make them self-reliant.
For this purpose, 218 training centers are being operated across the country, with 30 centers located in Jharkhand and Bihar alone. A decision has been made to further expand this work.
Reduction in Naxalism and Religious Conversion
Goel mentioned that due to the efforts of the Ekal Abhiyan, there has been a decline in Naxalism and religious conversions in many parts of the country. Ekal volunteers are also working towards stopping the illegal drug trade.
Currently, Ekal schools are operating in 110,000 villages, connecting a total of 400,000 villages across the country with some form of Ekal activity.
In the border areas of Kashmir alone, 1,200 Ekal schools are operational, where all the students and teachers are Muslims.
