Entrepreneur Deepa Venkat is not like a majority of her counterparts for whom politics is the only profession to chose. Instead, the entrepreneur daughter of former BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu prefers to pursue Mahatma Gandhi’s dictum — back to villages.

Swarna Bharat Trust, a charitable organisation run by her, collaborated with Soma Enterprises and Andhra Bank last September to set up an institute to impart technical education to rural youths. Around 400 deprived youths from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and since passed out from this place and are now settled with good jobs at different firms.

“It gives you a great sense of satisfaction to see helping somebody’s life and future,” Deepa says, adding, “My father (Venkaiah Naidu) is the driving force behind this initiative. He praises me at good works and do not mind pulling me up when there is some fault.”

Deepa is recipient of a national award under “Humanitarian and Voluntary Leadership” category given by the Junior Chamber International (JCI), a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs.

The trust set up by eight friends of Naidu in 2001 also runs another Cyber Grameen project to impart computer training to rural youth, vocational training centre called SIRED for self improvement in 18 trades.

The Trust also runs training centre for farmers to help them effectively use resources to increase yield. There is a modern medical centre sponsored by M/s Venkateswara Hatcheries named after their founder Dr BV Rao where free medical facility by prominent Doctors from Hyderabad and Chennai drawn from five corporate hospitals visit by rotation to treat the patients in the district and nearby areas.

The local Red Cross and Indian Medical Association (IMA) join the Trust to conduct regular medical camps. The Trust also runs a mobile medical unit with modern medical facility like x-rays, clinical lab, pathological lab etc.

Trust also operates an eye hospital in association with LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, to provide free eye treatment for those who can not afford costly treatment. A free Veterinary Hospital is also run by the Trust in Collaboration with Mandava Foundation.

“The Trust runs a Bridge School for children who have discontinued studies due to various reasons in association with Simhapuri Vidya Seva Samiti. It also conducts free legal aid and recently five eminent judges have participated in the face to face meet with the villagers,” Naidu said. Other initiatives include an Elders’ Home.

source: http://www.DailyPioneer.com / Home> Nation /PNS / Nellore ( Andhra Pradesh) / Wednesday, January 16th, 2013