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| Frequently Asked Questions |
1. What is Palkar Helpline?
Palkar Helpline (PHL) is a Non Profit Organization registered in the USA and India. PHL was formed by a group of like-minded volunteers from various walks of life. The common goal of these volunteers were to uplift the poor and economically weaker children and women in India mainly by providing Education, Healthcare and improving basic infrastructure that would contribute to overall development.
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2. Is my contribution tax exempt in USA and India?
Palkar Helpline (PHL) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and all contributions to Palkar Helpline are eligible for tax-exemption in the USA. Contributions in India are also tax-exempt per Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
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3. Who are the people running PHL, what do they do for their living?
In PHL there are only 3 kinds of people behind PHL.
General members who passively participate by providing their moral support and guidance.
Contributors who finacially sponsor the various projects undertaken by PHL.
Coordinators who spend their valuable time in executing the projects as well as financially supporting the projects.
Coordinators/volunteers are all Professionals like IT Specialists, Corporate Managers, Engineers, Charted Accountants and young entrepreneurs. There are also Senior Retired Citizen (PHL Advisor), College Lecturer, School Principal and several other seasonal/part-time coordinators in India. They are involved in PHL voluntary service after their work and don't depend on the member's contribution.
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4. Is there any Administrative expenses for PHL?
Like all organizations, PHL also incurs some administrative expenses like website hosting, postage, travel expenses for project site visits and stationery. Howvever, our dedicated PHL Coordinators cover-up all overheads and administrative cost of project execution making sure that 100% of the member contributions are goes to the poor students and needy families.
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5. What are the projects PHL is undertaking?
Though 95% of PHL projects are towards students education (school books, notes, uniform, bus fare, school projects, Learning Centers with libraries and computers, mid-day meal program, competitive exams etc.) and literature, PHL does not shy away from helping poor families under medical backgrounds and providing social assistance for women under pathetic conditions as there are many PHL members ready to support in such situations.
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6. How do I know that my contribution is properly utilized?
First, PHL keeps posting the project details publicly on the website and also sends to the contributors through email listings.
Secondly PHL always encourages the contributors to visit project sites to get the real feelings of the happiness of poor students and parents. PHL Coordinators are always ready to provide complete details of contribution by mail upon request. Contributors are also encouraged to talk with volunteers. PHL has complete records of Projects and Contributions for auditing purpose and these are open for everyone.
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7. How does the Students Selection Process Work?
As a basic guide line PHL selects the students based on the merit and family's poverty background. Also PHL Coordinators do not select their relatives and personal friends or families as a beneficiary for any projects. Here is how the the Student Selection Process works:
PHL Main coordinators send the Student Scholarship Application Form to Regional Coordinators in the village/colonies (2 to 4 Coordinators in each village/colony). Though the Regional Coordinators receive a lot of applications, they filter out the well-doing families and students with low score (mark sheets and family background information are provided in the application). The Regional Coordinators would then visit each and every student house and verify the family background. If the family is doing well with business/employment they will be rejected or put in last priority.
Only the most meritorious and economically weakest students are selected. With the available funds, PHL needs to select the maximum number of students so that a large base of students would get benefitted.
With the current cost of living (2007-08)/annum in India, the approximate cost to cover school fees, books, notes, school uniform for students of
Grade: 1 to 5 : Rs.500 (US$12.50)
Grade: 6 to 9 : Rs.750 (US$18.75)
Grade: 10th : Rs.1000 (US$25.00)
Grade: 11th/12th : Rs.1500 (US$37.50)
Also depending on the school the sponsorship amount may vary slightly.
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