KOLLAM (Kerala): At a function held today at the Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Kollam, President Ram Nath Kovind launched a new charitable initiative through which the Math aims to provide filtration for clean drinking water to one crore villagers throughout the nation. It was inaugurated in the presence of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma).
The initial phase of the project — which aims to install Jivamritam filtration systems for clean drinking water in 5,000 villages throughout the nation — is being completely funded by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, at an expectant cost of Rs 100 crore. Each Jivamritam System can filter the daily drinking-water needs of up to 400 five-member families, potentially providing safe and clean drinking water to one crore villagers.
President said, “Kerala has been one of the leading spiritual homes of our country. The fame of spiritualism has shone bright in the state for thousands of years, with such revered people as Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Narayan Guru, and Ayyankali. They did much to unite our country with a common sense of spiritualism and push for social reform.”
“Such initiatives promote the health and well-being of common people, and are reflective of both the spiritualism and the progressive ideals of Kerala – as embodied by Amma. Above all, such initiatives help build a better society and a happier nation.”
“The Jivamritam System avails of a dual sand-and-activated-carbon filter to remove suspended particles and turbidity, followed by micron filters of five-micron and one-micron filtration,” said Dr. Maneesha Sudheer, the Jivamritam project head from Amrita University.
President Kovind inaugurated Jivamritam in the presence of spiritual leader and humanitarian Amma by unveiling a model system to thousands of devotees who had gathered for the occasion.
The final event of the programme involved President Kovind presenting certificates for totally free surgeries at the Amrita Hospital to five onstage beneficiaries.
Amma has delivered addresses at the United Nations several times and has spoken twice at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Among other accolades, she has received the Gandhi-King Award for Non-violence in Geneva, the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award in New York, and an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York.
