The Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund (SILWF) operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare organised, today, a distribution of school materials to children of vulnerable families in various regions in the North of the country. A handing over ceremony was held at Panchavati Community Centre to kick-off this national initiative.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs. Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah, the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr. Maneesh Gobin, the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr. Rajanah Dhaliah and other personalities were present at the ceremony.
In her address, Minister Koonjoo-Shah urged women and mothers to give priority to the education of their wards and children. She emphasised that education is a major stepping stone to achieve success in life.
She underlined that with the resumption of school after the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families had to face unforeseen financial difficulties and in view to help them alleviate part of their financial burden, Government has come forward with various measures. One of them is the remittance of school materials to those in dire needs, she underscored.
On his part, Minister Gobin enumerated the different actions being undertaken by Government to help the population at large and stressed that hard work and discipline must be on the agenda of everyone to face the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 situation.
School materials comprising of school bags, copybooks, pens and pencils, were distributed today in various community centres to needy families in the North as follows:
Panchavati: 26
Pointe des Lascars: 22
Amaury: 23
Barlow: 46
Petite Julie: 20
Villebague: 25
The ongoing distribution of school materials concerns some 2500 children.
