Hyderabad: Fifty years ago Eenadu came into being on August 10, 1974. The Golden Jubilee publication did not restrict its role to a mere news provider but also a socially responsible media organisation, by playing the guardian for the voiceless and the distressed. This has remained as its core ideal for half a century and it will continue to do so for many to come.
The daily has breathed life into various public movements. It has always remained on the forefront, leading the way whenever society seemed rudderless. At times of humanitarian crises, the newspaper had expressed its solidarity with the affected. It fed those affected and has doled out relief measures, running into several crores to uplift the affected populace.
The publication believes in its social responsibility and has never shied away from it in the past five decades. It has been showing the same sincerity since its inception in its letter and spirit, true to its founding ideals.
In 1976, Eenadu was still in its nascent stages. Three back-to-back storms pounded the Telugu region, leaving a huge trail of destruction including lakhs of acres of standing crops, and cattle. Eenadu, helmed by Ramoji Group Chairman late Ramoji Rao, stepped in. It started a relief fund contributing Rs. 10,000 and ran an awareness campaign seeking help. The call resonated with its loyal readers, prompting them to make hearty contributions. The relief fund gathered Rs 64,756 in a month. Eenadu handed it over to the then government.
It was the Diviseema flood in 1977. The flood-ravaged thousands of homes, leaving them homeless and with nothing. Eenadu launched a Rs 25,000 relief fund. This time the readers became more generous. The total relief fund collection was Rs 3,73,927. The fund was utilised to rehabilitate the dilapidated Palakayatippa village in Kodur Mandal of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. The state government also used the funds to build 112 houses. The Ramakrishna Mission too contributed to the construction of houses. The fishing village was rechristened as Paramahamsapuram. The remainder of the funds were spent on the village reconstruction. In addition to this, 22 more houses were built in Krishnapuram near Koduru.
The group served food to the affected. The group employees delivered food parcels to 50,000. The premises of Dolphin Hotels, Visakhapatnam, was used as a central kitchen. This was hailed as an act of humanity by many.
In 1996, cyclones wreaked havoc in Prakasam, Nellore, Kadapa districts in October and Godavari districts in November. This time Eenadu opened the relief fund coffers with Rs. 25 lakhs as its contribution. The fund ended up collecting Rs. 60 lakh. Eenadu decided that most of this should go to flood victims. It built ‘Surya’ buildings which will act as relief shelters during calamities, while acting as schools during the rest of the year. It chose 60 such villages which required such shelters and constructed them. It sent out a call for construction material which too received a warm response from its readers. They offered cement, iron, metal and sand.
In October 2009, Krishna, Tungabhadra and Kundun rivers were in spate, wiping away parts of Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts. Eenadu hit its relief trail again. This time around, it distributed over 1.2 lakh food as immediate aid. It managed to raise Rs. 6.05 cr from donors. It utilised the funds to buy looms to 1,110 handloom families in Mahbubnagar. In Kurnool, it built 'Ushodaya school buildings'. With the generous contributions from its readers, an additional fund of Rs 3.16 cr was collected. It built 80 houses in Tantadi-Vadapalem village of Visakhapatnam district, 36 houses in old Meghavaram of Srikakulam district and 28 houses in Ummilada, costing Rs 6.16 cr.
The 2020 deluge left severe damage in the Telangana region. Eenadu group donated Rs 5 cr to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.