‘Empower Nilgiris’ portal launched for donations to support causes and projects in The Nilgiris

The Nilgiris District Collector, Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, announced the launch of the ‘Empower Nilgiris’ portal, described as being a “dedicated portal to bring together individuals, institutions and CSR contributors who wish to support meaningful causes and projects in the Nilgiris,” on Friday.

Ms. Tanneeru made the announcement at the inauguration of the third edition of the Nilgiris Economic Dialogue, which is being held in Udhagamandalam till Sunday.

“Very often, well-intentioned donors want to contribute, but are unsure where to begin, whom to approach or how to ensure transparency and measurable impact,” said Ms. Tanneeru, who went onto state that the ‘Empower Nilgiris’ portal has been launched with the intention of bridging such gaps by curating “verified, needs-based-projects across sectors.”

The portal allows donors two clear modes of contributing. “First, the donors may take up and implement a project in its entirety in coordination with the district administration and concerned department, or secondly, they can contribute funds to concerned government departments, which will then implement the project as per the norms,” said the collector.

“In both cases, the emphasis is on transparency, accountability and outcomes. The portal provides mechanisms to track progress, monitor implementation and ensure that the contributions translate into real, on-ground impact,” she added. Donors can access more information through the website www.empowernilgiris.org.

Ms. Tanneeru said that the portal allows contributions to be made easier, transparent and effective, without donors having to navigate multiple offices and informal channels. “The Nilgiris has always attracted people who care about nature, about communities and the future. ‘Empower Nilgiris’ is an attempt to channel that goodwill into a structured, credible and result-oriented framework,” said the Collector, who went onto add that development in places like the Nilgiris cannot be measured by economic indicators, but in how ecosystems are protected and how equitably livelihoods are supported.

Present at the inauguration was Unnikrishnan A.R., Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Tamil Nadu; P. Ravichandran, Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region; Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman CII Southern Region; Shankar Vanavarayar, Convenor of the Nilgiris Economic Dialogue, and C. Devarajan, Vice-Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council.