THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 8 December 2007 — Forty poor girls in Palakkad district will tie the knot today, thanks to the Sri Kurumba Trust, a corporate social responsibility initiative of Muscat-based NRI businessman PNC Menon, a member of Forbes magazine’s billionaires’ club who heads the Sobha group.
“The Trust has been organizing the charity event every year since 2003 paying all the expenses for ornaments, dress materials and utensils for each couple besides arranging a fabulous feast,” said K.P. Pushparaj, general manager (corporate communications), Sobha Developers.
Some of the major social projects of the Trust include the Sobha Hermitage, a unique facility for senior citizens and people in distress, the Sobha Health Care, a primary health care center of international standards, the Sobha Academy and an international educational institution exclusively for the underprivileged.
“The mass marriages in the past were huge success and all the 131 couples who got married at the mass marriage functions sponsored by the Trust are living happily,” Pushparaj said.
The Trust has adopted Vadakkancherry and Kizhakkancherry villages in Palakkad district, with a four-pronged strategy for overall development such as providing health care, education, water and employment to around 80,000 people of the twin villages.
Some 50 widows from Kizhakkanchery have been adopted, providing them with a subsistence allowance of Rs.1,000 a month and three pairs of clothing for the family, free health care and free education.
“Now we are thinking about providing them with housing and employment. A proposal to look after poor pregnant women from the two villages with complete maternity care is also being worked out with a view to creating a society with healthy mothers and healthy babies,” Pushparaj said.
A comprehensive demographic census is also being undertaken on their financial, health, educational and employment status. The fourth initiative is to establish an industry and start organic group farming to provide gainful employment.
Necessary land has been acquired and work is expected to commence in two years.
“Since many years, the Trust has also been daily feeding the elderly poor and providing them with clothes,” Pushparaj said.
Hackers Tamper With IMEI
Hackers in Kerala are reprogramming the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of stolen mobile phones, making it difficult for law enforcers to trace the pilfered handsets, police said.
This year, the High Tech Crime Inquiry Cell of the police seized more than 250 stolen sets tracing the IMEI. About 10 percent of the IMEI numbers in use today are not unique and they are reprogrammed or hacked.
Handsets stolen from other states are also being sold in Kerala and vice versa. Hackers reconfigure IMEI numbers by tweaking the “read only or flash memories” of mobile phones, they said.
