REHABILITATION OF SIKLIGAR SIKHS

In 2006-07 school session, 371 children of sikligar Sikh families from 25 villages in and around 15 towns of Karnatka are attending schools. Nishkam in co-ordination with KSWS is to a great extent meeting the educational needs of these school-going children. Teachers have been engaged and are being engaged to provide off school-hour tuitions to these school-going children of sikligar Sikh families to help them perform well at their schools and examinations. In Bangalore, solid houses were constructed for them by Nishkam from its funds. However, at other places it is trying to get them allotted solid houses constructed by govt.-agencies for families below poverty line under two different schemes. To achieve this objective Nishkam has so far deposited required down-payments (ranging from Rs5100/- to Rs10,000/-per family) on behalf of 79 families and 50 of them are likely to get the newly constructed houses allotted to them by middle of 2007. Nishkam’s long-term strategy to bring them above poverty line is to give maximum possible education to their children. A missionary was engaged by Nishkam two years back to provide religious and moral education to the members of Sikligar Sikh families to bring them closer to mainstream of Sikh community. The results of this effort are very encouraging judging from the performance of their children at various Gurdwaras on important occasions.

EXTENSION OF THIS PROGRAM TO RAJASTHAN