Dhanbad DC SK Burnwal (pink shirt) hands over cycle rickshaws to an ISM student in Dhanbad on Wednesday. Picture by Gautam Dey

Dhanbad, July 6: Tata Steel has added more wheels to drive the ISM’s crusade against poverty.

The ISM’s student society, Kartavya, had started a unique poverty alleviation project titled “Mr Rickshawala” two months ago. The project envisaged distribution of cycle rickshaws to the needy. But it did not stop with that. Each rickshawpuller was asked to contribute Rs 30 a day to Kartavya, which was used to create a fund for his child’s education.

Today, Tata Steel Rural Development Society donated five cycle rickshaws to Kartavya at the district collectorate. The student outfit has, in the past two months, self-financed three cycle rickshaws at Rs 15,000 each and given them to identified beneficiaries after a transparent screening process.

Today’s corporate gift, however, is a big boost to the fledgling scheme. The cycle rickshaws were jointly handed over to students by deputy commissioner S.K. Burnwal, an ISM alumnus himself, and Tata Steel general manager (Jharia division) C.H. Diwaker in the presence of Tata Steel Rural Development Society unit head Sanjeev Mahapatra.

Shivam Keshri, a fourth-year mining engineering student associated with Kartavya, said they got the guts to start Mr Rickshawala after their success in sponsoring the education of more than 400 slum children in Lahbani, Mandal Basti and Barmasia. “Mr Rickshawala aims at giving the adult poor an honest living, who can then fund their kids’ education,” he said, adding much needed to be done.

“We want to open joint accounts of each beneficiary with us. The rickshawpullers should know how much money has been collected for their wards’ education,” Shivam said.

The philanthrophy is pragmatic. “If we take a portion of his daily earnings, he can’t spend it on gambling or booze,” Shivam said.

Pankaj Jain, a final-year mineral engineering student, concurred. “At Kartavya, we have a target of distributing 25 cycle rickshaws. We are sure that the deputy commissioner will give us all help,” he said.

Just like the project, the rickshaws will be offbeat, promised the students. “Ours will boast a placard of Mr Rickshawala with fares. The rickshawpullers will be trained to behave politely,” Pankaj added.