Atma Nirbhar ? Ek Challenge completes 21 years

GUWAHATI, April 28: Atma Nirbhar – Ek Challenge was born on May 1, 1996 with one man’s burning desire to be the change he wanted to see. Late Kaushik Das quit his comfortable corporate job to start this NGO with the vision of providing employment and livelihood opportunities to the differently abled through a tea packaging unit which he started in his own home at Guwahati. From just 5 beneficiaries 21 years back the organisation has come a long way and today it is providing employment to 39 beneficiaries through various activities such as tea packaging, grocery packaging, paper bag making, rental of ormental potted plants, among others. Through the years, the work done by the organisation has been recognised with a number of tiol and state level awards including President of India’s tiol Award for Service in the Disability Sector.

Atma Nirbhar – Ek Challenge had faced an unexpected setback with the sudden demise of its founder Late Kaushik Das in January, 2013 when the future of the organisation had appeared uncertain. However, the maging committee, under the stewardship of its President, Bhaskar Barua I.A.S. (Retd.), resolved to carry on the work initiated by the founder with the goodwill and support of all the well-wishers.  In the period since 2013 apart from expanding work volumes, the greatest achievement has been the enrolment of all the beneficiaries under the Government’s Provident Fund Scheme for social security and the ESIC programme by which beneficiaries and their families have become eligible for free medical treatment. Given the limited resources and fincial constraints these two measures represent giant steps forward towards the organisation’s vision of giving dignity to the persons with disability in their families and in the society.

Over this four year period, beneficiary stipends have also increased by an average of 40%. Apart from the stipend, Atma Nirbhar – Ek Challenge also continues to provide a highly subsidised, nutritious lunch for Re. 1/- only to all the beneficiaries and a quarterly educatiol grant to all school and college going children and dependants of beneficiaries.  Despite all the additiol expenses incurred, the corpus of the organisation has grown by 31% to Rs. 60 lacs in the same period.

All this has been possible with the trust,  goodwill and support of all the job work providers, buyers and donors and the unstinted hard work put in by the staff, beneficiaries and other members of the Atma Nirbhar – Ek Challenge team. On the eve of the 20th Foundation Day  Atma Nirbhar solicits the continued support of all stake holders to achieve further expansion and development. This was stated in  a press release.