Voices from the past project participants

Name of Interviewer:   R. Kuganesarasa (Field Officer)
Name of Interviewee:   Ms. Sayanthinie (Secretary-ACS, Muhamalai)
Date: 12th June, 2015

JEN: Vannakkam” (Good morning), as you are the Secretary of the Agriculture Co-operative Society (ACS), I want to know about the functions of the ACS and what are the benefits people enjoy? Also, (after the participation in the JEN’s project) would like to know about   any developments, changes you observed in your village.
Interviewee : Yes of course. Thank you for coming to us and the ACS.

My name is Sayanthinie, 25 years old.  I am the Secretary of the ACS.   Telling about ACS, as Secretary I am organizing  meetings  which is being held monthly and keep records, support to implement decisions that has taken up at the meetings,  that’s about functioning.  Our ACS functioning started without any difficulty this year and up to now had two monthly meetings. At these meetings we talk about additional products that can be grinded, faults in the machinery, income and how to improve further etc.   
People come to grind food products, mainly to powder rice and chilies.    Earlier they went to nearest city.  But visiting our ACS makes them reduce time waste and reduce cost.    About 3-4 families visit our society per day.

About our village, still there are people to come back to settle.    People depended on daily labor work as their main livelihood in the past seems to be improved to some extent to find their jobs on their own, living with happiness.  Almost all people have permanent houses, people are co-operative each other and they are freely moving, no security issue at all.  So People now enjoy a happy living environment, a BIG change.

Sometimes I used to grind food instead the main operator which gives me happy to do a job.  Reason is this ACS belongs to our village. So working for the village is a gift to me.    I am happy if all members join hands with me to uplift the society to a grand level.  I like this ACS activities expand more and more to benefit the adjoining villages too, is my dream and happiness.

[JEN FO meets ACS Secretary at the ACS building]

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