Asha Gram Trust ( Regd) Barwani – an NGO on whom are conferred many awards by the Central and State Government was founded on 13th July 1983 on the initiative of Shri Harsha Mandar IAS then SDM Barwani. He was moved seeing the sad plight of the large number of leprosy patients and their misery and poverty. He along with well meaning citizen of Barwani created this Trust and got registered. Their treatment and rehabilitation- physical and economic was the trust’s mission.

Shri Hiralalji Sharma ( popularly called Hirubhai) a PWD contractor , Dr Prakash Yadav M.D. medicine and Prof Shiv Narayan Yadav – Principal PG Collage & a historian were the first few persons to join the Trust.

The trust constructed a eighty bedded hospital- Asha Chikitsalay in the Asha Gram spread over 60 acres of land wherein the Trust started corrective surgeries of the Leprosy patients. It constructed about sixty cottages for the leprosy cured families. Got them gainful employment in farming ( 12 acres of agricultural land) carpet making, Kavelu making and a middle school for their children and Goatery Handmade paper unit ( 60 ladies working) Calipers & Artificial limbs manufacturing, File covers making (by ladies) at Asha Gram Barwani and a Tricycle Manufacturing Unit at Indore were added in 1989 when the Trust expanded its service activities in Disability sector. Orthopedic intervention of polio cases, mainly tribal children are carried out free of any charge. It started seva activities in the Mentally ill in about 45 villages surrounding Barwani for which The Government of India awarded the Trust A ‘ National Award in public recognition of its outstanding performance in the field of Welfare of persons with disabilities on 03. 12. 2006 at the hands of the then President of India .

The Trust got innumerable awards from the State Government and social organizations. An old age home – ten cottages at Khalghat was constructed in 1990 Dr Devendra Taneja reputed Orthopadic Surgeon – medical Advisor to Trust and Vasant Bochare – a social worker owning and running a micro industry were taken as Trustees in 1989. Shri Vasant Bochare undertook to buy necessary plant & Machinery, make fixtures and arrange for necessary capital and working funds for establishing the micro industry for manufacturing all types of Equipments for use of the physically challenged persons. Its name was kept Apang Kalyan Samiti on advise of Shri Harsh Mandar IAS then the District Collector Khargone ( 1989-91) Shri Bochare also agreed to do the marketing for the products for and on behalf of the Trust. Interest on borrowed capital and Losses in this activity if any were to be borne by Vasant Bochare the Trustee. He was expected to manufacture only quality devices without any compromise on quality, keep minimum reasonable profit margin and if possible contribute financially to the trust’s charitable hospital at Barwani from the surplus of income over expenditure. If any.

Apang Kalyan Samiti- the micro industry will function as a Satelite industry of Asha Gram Trust. Apang Kalyan Samiti is also authorized to participate in government tenders for calipers and Artificial Limbs on the trusts’s behalf along with their equipments for the disabled persons. Amount for EMD and Performance Gurantee security will be deposited by Vasant Bochare from his own funds.

Initially AKS directly quoted to District Collectors for their Narmada brand Tricycles (design perfected by Senior Professors of Shri GSITS (Engineering Collage) two senior Orthopedic Surgeons of MYH and other equipments and obtained good amount of orders. The oldest and reputed make Arphi hearing Aids –Manufacturers M/S Arphi Elerctronics P Ltd appointed AKS as their Authorised Distributors for the States of MP & CG. Then from 2003 these equipments were bought through M.P. Laghu Udyog Nigam. From 2008-09 the Commissioner of Social Justice started calling for the tender and finalizing rate contract.

In 2009 tender though AKS was awarded Rate Contract by LUN, the then Commissioner floated another tender for the same items, in which we could not participate being unawares of this development He refused to award the rate contract to us as a non tendering party in spite of our repeated requests and went on extending its validity until 2013 with the result we were denied the opportunity of serving our viklang brothren of the State all these three/ four years. Our name is included in the RC of 2013 and we have executed orders worth over Rs 15 Lacs in 2014 so far We have a plot of 15000 sq ft,, power connection of 65 HP, Our Production Director is BE mechanical with over 26 years experience. We have a Foreman (ITI trained), ten skilled workers and six workers and the Production man also heads the R&D wing. We can double/ triple the capacity stated in the DITC registration with short notice as all fixtures will be made in house..

Other Social Activities of Vasant Bochare - Shri Vasant Bochare is also working as Hon Treasurer M.P.Flying Club Limited Indore Bhopal( training of Commercial pilots) from 2000 ; Hon Secretary from 1994 to 2013 and now senior Vice President of Shri Dayanand Shikshan Samiti operating three Schools in Indore, Trustee Shree Madhav Seva Nyas- running a village (gramin )vidyalay where students from 20 surrounding villages are studying. He is founder convener Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samiti, Indore ( founded on maker sankranti – 14 January 1968) Life Member of Shri Ramkrishna Ashram, Indore and Indian Red Cross society. Former State Hon Treasurer Shri Vishva Hindu Parishad ( 1979-81) when Ganga Jal Ratha Yatra was organized ; State Vice President Laghu Udyog Bharati (until 2013) the only All India ( association) Central organization of Micro Industries.

After his release from MISA (detention Aug 1975- Feb 1977) by Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s grace he bought a sick industrial unit from MPFC in 1982, another sick industrial unit in 1997 and revived both the closed units. The first unit is now owned and managed by Vasant’s younger brother ( 15 years young) M.Tech IIT Kanpur and over ten years in TELCO Pune and another bought in 1997 by his son Mukul BE Mech Apang Kalyan Samiti had been contributing every year about 70 to 80 thousand rupees to the Asha Chikitsalay Barwani. This continued until 2008, There after we were out from RC thanks to the then Commissioner Social Justice’.

Shri Nikhil Chopra (23) MBA has this year Joined Vasant Bochare (81) to extend all financial and marketing assistance to Apang Kalyan Samiti. Contributions as heretobefore will be continued to be made to Asha Chiktasalay Barwani on the basis of total annual sales of the Equipments.

PROFILE OF APANG KALYAN SAMITI – A REGISTERED SSI UNIT (AN ISO 9001 – 2008 CERTIFIED COMPANY)