It is a humid Tuesday afternoon and the Onam spirit is still hanging in the air. Unmindful of the festive air surrounding them, a group of girls are seen giving a fresh coat of paint to the walls of the Government Hospital for Women and Children. As you walk inside the building, some others are repairing equipment at the laboratory and trying to figure out what is wrong with a rickety wheelchair.
These 70 students of KMCT College of Engineering for Women, Mukkom are part of Punarjani, a seven-day camp conceived by the Department of Technical Education and the technical cell of the National Service Scheme (NSS).
V. Ashwin Raj, NSS programme officer at the college, says the main aim of the camp is to repair damaged equipment and other machines at the hospital. “Sometimes, costly equipment are dumped in the dustbin even if the damage is minor in nature, like one missing screw. Lakhs of rupees are spent on new machines. Through this camp, the technical knowledge of engineering students are used to repair the damaged equipment and thus the government can save some money,” he says.
Mr. Raj says the bio-medical equipment, cots, wheelchairs, and stretchers are also being repaired and the government could save around ₹ 40 lakh.
“It is commendable that the students did not go home for Bakrid or Onam. They celebrated the festivals at the hospital,” he adds.
The students begin their work at 8 a.m. and wind up at 5 p.m. The camp was inaugurated on September 1.
Similar programmes are being held at 53 hospitals across the State now. Last year, 35 colleges and polytechnics under the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University participated in such camps.