Navneet VimalOne is helping govt schools get classrooms, toilets and smart boards. The other is hoping to hold civic authorities accountable for waste management. Different in approach but similar in purpose, these two citizen-led initiatives are using tech to tackle everyday issues.For years, students at the govt higher secondary school in Kalveerampalayam, Coimbatore, were taught using a simple blackboard, until the Putholi Trust introduced a smart board. Founder Jagan Kumar describes Putholi as a “small, no-frills, non-political non-profit” with one aim — to get Tamil Nadu’s govt schools the basic infrastructure such as toilets, classrooms and libraries. Jagan founded the trust in 2023, ‘Putholi’ meaning ‘fresh and new’ in Tamil. “We wanted citizens who contribute to see exactly where their money goes. The trust doesn’t accept open donations and every contribution on the website goes towards a specific school need,” says the 49-year-old software engineer. The website expenses are covered by Jagan. Donors receive a unique tracking ID that allows them to view their donation details, vendor details, receipts, and before-and-after photos. Payments only move forward after proof of work is submitted.“We are now building a volunteer network, at least 25 people per district,” says Jagan. “We believe that if many people provide support through the Putholi trust, it could result in revolutionary infrastructure changes for govt schools,” says Jagan.While Jagan hopes to improve school infrastructure, Chennai-based computer science graduate C Manikandan is bent on tackling the garbage issue.Imagine an app where a photo of a garbage pile clicked by a citizen immediately identifies the GPS location and displays the names of the MLA, IAS officer and SWM members responsible for that ward. “That’s what ‘Nammaooru’ does,” says Manikandan. “Nammaooru allows any user to view any report filed across the city, resulting in transparency. We’ve had five complaints filed across eight wards in Chennai, most of them reporting the mixing of dry and wet waste, as well as waste from ongoing construction. All complaints have been forwarded to the GCC for action.”None has been resolved yet, which, Manikandan says, is because the newly formed govt is still focused on addressing other issues. “The MLA I consulted indicated that the administration would need time to integrate and act on the platform’s reporting system. The resolution will happen at some point,” says Manikandan, adding that more photos are coming in every day. “Only if society takes initiative will there be some progress,” he says. For details, visit: https://www.nammaooru.xyz/; putholitrust.com
