Milaap.org is an online fundraising platform that was started by three passionate, young entrepreneurs in June 2010. The organization’s main aim is to change the way people fund and impact communities in need by enabling individuals to make a difference in a very transparent, accountable and sustainable manner.

At Milaap, it is not about investing in charity but about investing in business and trade. A very innovative step taken by them is a system through which one can see profiles of people who need funds for various purposes. One can even choose whom she or he wants to fund. The total fund raised goes directly to the beneficiaries; here the money is given not as donations but as loans with affordable interest. Beneficiaries repay the loans in small installments every month; and every month there is an update made on repayment. That is how the entire sum is repaid to the organization. Milaap has also received support from institutions like the Dell Foundation, the Montpelier Foundation, DBS Bank and National Skill Development Corporation.

Not only is it effective, this organization is also credited for being remarkably impactful. Milaap has cumulatively disbursed 10.25 crore in loans and impacted over 50,000 lives. Currently, over 10,000 individuals have invested via Milaap.

Millaap has a simple yet endearingly impactful mission. It wishes to reach out to more people who can help it serve better and become part of its fundraising organization. At Milaap, you can give loans for basic needs of people like drinking water connections, toilets, solar lighting or for job-linked skills training as well as providing working capital for small businesses.

If you want to bring in a timely, effective, and remarkable change by helping the society through a powerful platform under the guidance of a proper and diligent organization- Millaap is just the organization to join.

Image source: www.milaap.org

Surbhi Sharma
[email protected]

Here, in our own Editorial team, we had quite a few people who had applied for migration to various colleges. While two of us were from the same college, one of us managed to get migrated to another college but the other did not. Recounted below are our accounts on how hard migration can be in the University.

Account 1: Migration Rejected

Being amongst the numerous students who were brainwashed by the FYUP approach last year which stated that migrations will be a distant reality for the third semester, I was at peace and accepted the reality that I would have to spend the rest of my college days in the same off campus ‘second rate’ college. Until one day a random conversation woke me up to the fact that DU had been approving migration applications and offering students an opportunity to escape their pre-sealed fates. I was also betrayed when I got to know that many of my contemporaries had already applied and were on the verge of getting their jobs done as discreetly as possible. And this happened only two weeks back.
Since then I have been on nothing less than a roller-coaster ride writing applications, chasing the administrative staff and that HOD to make things work. After having applied to three colleges of South Campus, I found a variety of issues coming my way –

• First, each college has a different cut off (apparently created on the spot by the teachers). Inside sources have reported favouritism and source admissions.
• Second, some colleges completely deny migration, citing a variety of reasons. From having unavailability of seats and yet allowing migrations outside to making aspirants run around till the last date and leaving no choice for the student to go back home and try again from scratch the next day.
• Third, Apart from the loopholes with administration, it is a strenuous task to catch hold of the principal, who is the supreme decision maker and the authoritative head when it comes to admissions and migrations. The staff is uncooperative and unreliable unless you don’t have “connections” or “sources” involved.

Lastly, I would state that after a two week long roller-coaster ride, I still found myself standing at square one. Although I had been able to impress the H.O.D of the other college, the Principal there did not accept my application irrespective of the fact that the teachers of the concerned department had signed an application supporting my decision to migrate to their college.

Amitoj Singh
[email protected]

Account 2: Migration Successful

Although there is not much of a difference in opinion from the one presented above by my peer, I would still like to present my account on how I was successful in migrating to another college and the hardships I had to face to achieve it.
• Day 1, 28th August 2014 – Three days before the deadline for migration I was lucky enough to be informed by few friends that migrations were going on in a South Campus college. After getting my application verified by the H.O.D, I was allowed to talk to the Principal who provided me with a N.O.C. (No Objection Certificate). The same day I rushed to my college and submitted the N.O.C. and the Principal of my college acknowledged it by commanding the administrative department to provide me with a N.O.C. and a College Leaving Certificate.
• Day 2, 29th August 2014 – After running around the campus and getting signatures from four different people, I finally submitted the application which stated that I had no dues left with the college to the Senior Officer. However I was scared stiff when I was told that the Principal had not come to the college and 31stbeing a Sunday meant I had time till the next day to get my migration confirmed. After three hours of negotiations involving my parents, we were told to accompany a peon of my college to the Principal’s house and getting it signed by him there. At 9 PM in the night I received the requisite documents.
• Day 3, 30th August 2014 – On the D- Day, I rushed to my new college. I presented all my documents but was asked to get an Anti- Ragging Affidavit made. After submitting it, we were given the fee slips and we finally paid our fees and secured our seats in the new college.

Ishaan Sengupta
[email protected]