Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh inaugurated distribution of school bags and other study materials as part of ‘Mayor Care,’ a new initiative of the city Corporation, on Saturday.

Inaugurating ‘Mayor Care,’ Mr. Rajesh said when the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the Corporation, they thought about bringing together political leaders and some employees to design the civic body’s programmes for the next five years by taking into account opinion of experts in each sector. They also wanted to tap into resources at the disposal of well-wishers to improve the effectiveness of the Corporation’s activities. Mayor Care was the outcome of these discussions, he said.

Distribution of school bags, books, and other study materials to students in the 5-16 age group was just one component of Mayor Care. The city Corporation chose school reopening time for implementing the programme since students who benefit from it will be youths by the time the country celebrates 100 years of Independence in 2047 and in a position to contribute their best to the country. “The idea is to nurture a generation that has the confidence that their country and their civic body will be with them in times of need,” Mr. Rajesh said.

The Mayor said the Corporation wanted to support government and aided school students from economically weaker segments who did not have resources to buy essentials for the school year. However, it did not want to do this using own or government funds since that would impact other schemes. Instead, it was decided to seek the help of individuals and institutions who were ready to offer assistance in kind.

More than 5,000 kits were received at the city Corporation within two-three days, the Mayor said, adding that this testified to the people’s trust in the civic body.

The beneficiaries were selected by the General Education department, he said.

After the inauguration, the kits would be supplied to schools by the Corporation. The distribution by schools should be held in the presence of ward councillors, the Mayor said.

He expressed hope that next year, the Corporation would be able to distribute the school kits to all students in its limits.

Deputy Mayor Asha Nath, Corporation Education standing committee chairperson Chempazhanthy Udayan, and councillors were present at the event.