Latest news with #Communicore
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Kudumbashree launches action plans for upliftment of scheduled tribes
Thiruvananthapuram: Kudumbashree launched action plans for the upliftment of scheduled tribes in the state. The activities are included in Kudumbashree's annual action plan using a fund of Rs 25 crore, which includes both indigenous and National Rural Livelihood Mission funds. One of the main activities in the action plan is the formation of new neighbourhood groups. Newly formed groups will receive Rs 1,500 each for initial activities. The project outline places special emphasis on economic and social empowerment. Income-generating projects will be started in sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry and traditional occupations. As part of this, 100 poultry units will be started for neighbourhood group members. Kudumbashree will provide financial assistance of Rs 20,000 per unit. Additionally, new women's farmer groups will be formed, with each group receiving a corpus fund of Rs 40,000 for initial activities. To ensure employment and income for women in Attappadi, a premium bag manufacturing unit is planned. Along with this, markets will be secured for traditional products, minor millets and forest resources. Comprehensive programmes to improve children's educational standards, including the reorganisation of bridge courses and the establishment of child creativity centres, will be implemented this year. Special funds have been allocated for the Communicore project to improve English language proficiency and the short film production project 'Kanas Jaag 2.0' involving children from scheduled tribes.
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Tribal children from Sabarimala forests step outside with English on their lips
For 13-year-old Rajith, summer has always meant living inside the Sabarimala forests near Moozhiyar. This April, however, this youngster from the Malaipandaram tribe, walked away from the woods for an experience that would take him and his peers a step closer to the outside world. Over the course of three days, Rajith joined 35 other children from his community for a residential camp where they interacted, played and performed together—but only in English. For a tribe that has lived inside or close to the Sabarimala forests for generations, it marked the first spark of a movement called Communicore. Launched by the Kudumbashree District Mission in Pathanamthitta, Communicore is a full-throttle push to train Malaipandaram children in communicative English. Designed as part of a micro-plan for the community, the initiative aims at providing 300 hours of training in communicative English to selected children over 10 months. Three residential camps will be held this summer, which will be followed by classes on all second Saturdays and Sundays once the schools reopen. Since most of these children stay in tribal hostels, special permissions have been secured from the authorities to enable their participation during weekends. Interactive activities 'The key aim of the project is to improve their basic communication skills through a series of interactive activities,' says Shahjahan T.K, programme coordinator. The participants, aged between 12 and 17 years, come from the tribal settlements in Ranni, Vadasserikkara, Thannithodu, and Aruvapulam. To ensure effective learning, specialised trainers have been roped in. The sessions focus on building confidence and fluency through engaging formats like debates, presentations, English drama, group discussions, anchoring, and storytelling. The learning modules have been developed in collaboration with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). At the end of the training cycle, a convocation ceremony will be held. The grand finale, however, will be the Indian International Tribal English Conclave 2k26, a State-level event where these students will showcase their communication skills and do stage presentations developed during the training. Semi-nomadic Officials underscore the significance of Communicore in the unique context of the Malaipandaram community. Traditionally semi-nomadic, they have long lived in the Sabarimala forests, largely disconnected from the mainstream society. Their livelihood continues to depend on the forest ecosystem, and their hesitance to integrate into wider society has made them one of Kerala's most socio-economically marginalised groups. As per official estimates, there are just 837 Malaipandaram tribespeople living across 12 settlements in Pathanamthitta. Smaller groups also reside in the extended forests of Idukki and Achencoil in Kollam district.
