Kozhikode: Congress will launch its unit committees comprising residential units on October 2 as part of its reforms being implemented to rejuvenate the party.
In the first phase, the Congress Unit Committees will be formed at least in a panchayat each in all the 14 districts on Gandhi Jayanthi. Family meetings will mark the beginning of unit committees.
As part of the launch, the Congress is now carrying out a survey to collect the details of families at the booth level. The survey will prepare lists of houses in each unit, party houses, and Congress-friendly residences.
Simultaneously, the party is training the office-bearers of booth committees. A song, highlighting the party's role in the Independence struggle, is also being prepared.
Composition of unit committees
The unit committees will be formed after the survey. One unit committee will be formed for every 15 to 20 houses. 'Congress in all, Congress in all households,' will be the slogan of the unit committees.
At least one member from each household will be part of the committee. The party has mandated that a woman should hold any one of the posts of the president, secretary or treasurer. Women should comprise 20 per cent of the office-bearers, whereas Dalits should form five to 10 per cent.
The committees should meet at least twice a month, besides organising special events on 10 days of historic importance. It has also been instructed to ensure the presence of all members in the committee's family and annual meets.
This basic unit obviously resembles the neighbourhood self-help groups ('ayalkoottams' in local parlance) ubiquitous in Kerala of late.
State leaders, too, have been asked to join the unit committees in their respected areas of residence. They should also attend at least two meetings a year. The Congress is also aiming to raise funds through unit committees by collecting at least Rs 100 from each household. The collected amount should be remitted to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee or KPCC.
