MSN Charities Struggles Due to Financial Crunch

Kakinada: The Malladi Satyalingam Naicker Charities, popularly known as MSN Charities here, possessing more than 1300 acres of land, is faced with a serious financial crunch.

The entity is struggling to run its institutions as its sources of income have dried up and hence it became difficult to pay the salaries. More than 248 acres of land is under court litigation and hence there is no income from these lands. The tenants are paying only Rs.4,000 for the entire land per annum, its functionaries said.

“Due to court litigation, we are not taking this money too,” they said. Malladi Satyalinga Naicker, an illiterate fisherman from Kakinada, travelled to Rangoon in the 1890’s to do timber business and struck it rich. In later years, he returned to Kakinada and noticed his people’s struggle due to lack of education. He decided to form a charitable institution and provide good education to the poor. Naicker also arranged Vedic Studies for the Brahmins and free food to the students, and helped in the maintenance of temples.

He formed the MSN Charities as a trust in 1912 by investing a sum of Rs.8 lakh, with support from educated and prominent persons in Kakinada like Duriseti Seshagiri Rao, Lakkaraju Subba Rao, Pynda Venkata Narayana and his adopted son Malladi Subrahmanya Naicker.

The trust board, with these worthies as its members, purchased lands of nearly 1371 acres in places like Madavapuram, Kumarapuram, Pithapuram, Chitrada, Fakruddinpalem, Viravada and Jalluru in Pithapuram mandal, Jaggampeta in Jaggampeta mandal, Nagulapalli, Yandapalli in U Kothapalli mandal, Thotapeta and Vella in Ramachandrapuram mandal, Chidiga in Nakkapalli mandal, Kovvuru and Sarpavaram in Kakinada rural mandal, Bhogapuram and A Mallavaram village in Gollaprolu mandal, Kavalapadu in Tuni mandal, P Mallavaram in Tallarevu mandal and Pavara in Samalkot mandal.

Emboldened by its wealth, the entity forayed into the education sector and established the MSN Elementary School, followed by a high school, junior college and degree college and a Vedic School in 23.61 acres of land. It gave away 29.37 acres of land to the government for starting the Andhra Polytechnic College, at a token rent of Rs.1 per annum.

As per the agreement, as and when the government lifts the polytechnic college from this spot, the land should be given back to the Charities along with its buildings. On the wishes of the donor, the trust started a meals programme for poor students and constructed three temples like the Sangameswara Swamy temple, the Sitharama temple and the Anjaneya Swamy temple at Chollangi in Tallarevu mandal.

Meanwhile, the government acquired 50 acres of land for social service. Two acres of land was encroached by some individuals in Sarpavaram, but the court has directed the trust to get the land back. Yet, due to the interference from some political leaders, the land was not handed over to the trust so far.

Meanwhile, a dispute arose over the 248.24 acres in Karalapadu village, which was leased to nearly 20 farmers in 1944 at a rent of Rs.4,000 per annum for a 99-year lease.

In 2003, after the rules were framed under the rule 5(1) of Section 82/30 of the Endowments Act 1987, the government issued GO-Ms-379, requesting the leaseholders to hand over possession of the lands to the Charities.

In response, the tenants approached the district court, which dismissed their suit in 2009. There on, the tenants approached the high court. The executive officer of MSN Charities, K Vijayalakshmi, said that the Charities spent Rs.11 lakh per month on various counts including payment of salaries to the staff and faculty and for the Rs.2,000 stipend to each Vedic student and for feeding poor students twice a day. It spent Rs.30 lakh per annum in the name of the Common Good Fund, Archaka Welfare Fund and for contributions and Audit fees.

“We are finding it difficult to meet the expenses due to lack of sufficient income from the properties,” Vijayalakshmi said and added, “If we get the income from the 248 acres of land, it would help the institution meet its expenses.”

MSN Charities’ Parirakshana Samithi gives call to old students

Kakinada: The MSN Charities Parirakshana Samithi has made a plea to the old students of MSN Educational Institutions to help protect its properties and enable it to render services to more people.

Samithi convener Pesangi Adinarayana said some of the leaseholders of the Charities are intentionally dragging cases and causing delays through land litigations and obstructing the institution’s income sources. He said the samithi would fight against the leaseholders and protect the Charities’ lands by holding discussions with the leaseholders.

“Notably, many former students of MSN Educational Institutions are holding top and pivotal posts in various places. We urge such students to exert pressure on the leaseholders. The advocates among them are urged to provide legal assistance to the Charities. The samithi would convene a meeting with the old students,” he said.

He said Naicker founded the MSN Charities Trust with noble intentions. “To continue achieving these goals, all old students are requested to take the responsibility of protecting the properties and collecting the lease amounts on a regular basis.”