Southern States - Kerala   

Drawing up a novel scheme

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA Dec 11. The Vasthu Vidya Gurukulam at Aranmula is setting another landmark with the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, inaugurating a novel Pension Gratuity Scheme on Friday.

The gurukulam, an autonomous institution for the promotion of traditional Kerala architecture and mural painting under the State Cultural Affairs Ministry, has envisaged the scheme by setting up its own Pension Gratuity Fund (PGF) with a view to disbursing pension benefits to all its 14 staff in future. The scheme assumes significance in the backdrop of the financial crisis being faced by the Government.

The gurukulam executive director, P.N. Suresh, told The Hindu that under the scheme, a sum of Rs 1 lakh would be deposited in a nationalised bank every year from the annual funds mobilised by the gurukulam through its consultancy wing, sale of mural paintings and academic courses.

The first retirement from the institution is expected after 14 years and by then, the PGF, at the present rate of interest, would be around Rs 28 lakhs. The disbursement of gratuity and pension can be made with the interest of the fixed deposit alone, says Mr. Suresh, the brain behind the scheme.

This public sector institution conducts various academic courses.

Kanippayoor Krishnan Nampoothiripad, regarded as an authority in traditional Kerala architecture, is the Dean and Louba Schild, a French woman who initiated the gurukulam project 10 years ago in close cooperation with the former Additional Chief Secretary, D. Babu Paul, is its vice-chairperson.

The documentation of all traditional architectural structures in the State without spending a single paise from the public exchequer in the next five years is another novel project launched by the gurukulam. Mr. Antony will also launch a project to record the documented details of the various architectural structures in CDs on Friday.

Setting up a mural art gallery on Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi is another prestigious project undertaken by the gurukulam and the Chief Minister will hand over the first set of paintings to the Gandhi Smrithi Darshan Samithy on the occasion.

Mr. Antony will present medals to the rank-holders of various courses conducted by the gurukulam. The Cultural Affairs Minister, G. Karthikeyan, will preside.

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