'Money Box' Project Gets National Recognition

How can children contribute to relief and rescue in times of floods and other natural disasters? Adersh RA, of Vrindavan High School in Neyyatinkara in Thiruvananthapuram, capital city of Kerala, had been contributing a fixed amount every year for the past five years to Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) since he was in Grade V. He got an opportunity to meet Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and he mooted the idea of  'Money Box' scheme to be implemented in schools to pool the contributions from students to CMDRF. In 2019, it was implemented on an experimental basis and within four days, Rs.2.81 cr was received as contribution from students. A Money Box was kept in the front of the schools for students to contribute. Adersh said that there was wholehearted co-operation from students, parents, teachers and the society at large to the Money Box project. Adersh who is now going into Grade XI was honoured by the Kerala Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Shashi Tharoor, MP, Former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac and several others. He was recently bestowed with the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award by Global Indian Association for contributing regularly to CMDRF and also initiating the idea of 'Money Box'. He has also presented a project to be implemented by school students to reduce pollution in Delhi to Shri Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi.