Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 17: Governor N. N. Vohra, President, Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), J&K, chaired the 175th meeting of State Managing Committee (SMC) of IRCS, J&K, Branch here at the Raj Bhavan. Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister, Vice President of the IRCS participated in the meeting.
Governor reviewed the activities carried out by the Society during the last six months and re-iterated the importance of increasing first-aid training programmes on a large scale, particularly in areas along the IB and LoC in Jammu region which are affected by cross-border firing. He advised Chief Secretary to urgently issue clear directions for making first aid training an essential pre-condition for the issuance of driving licences to drivers of all categories of commercial vehicles and school buses. DGP was directed to institutionalize such training programmes for Police recruits who undergo in the Police Training Schools.
Governor emphasized that donation boxes should be placed at all airports, railway stations, hospitals, universities, hotels and important market places to attract fund collection for the humanitarian activities carried out by the IRCS. He advised the benefit of institutionalisation of provision of required fund support for the treatment of poor who suffer from serious and terminal illnesses and emphasised the need for arrangement of patient care facilities at Jammu and Srinagar.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti assured that MLAs will be sensitized to provide for the treatment of the poor sections of the society suffering from life threatening diseases and other serious illnesses from their Constituency Develop-ment Funds.
Secretaries, School and Higher Education and General Secretary IRCS were directed to involve CBSE Schools for enrolment of their students as Junior Red Cross/Youth Red Cross and also tap the universities, Bar Associations, hotels etc for enlarging the resource base of Red Cross Funds.
Governor directed Secretary R&B to direct JKPCC to ensure that the construction work on the Red Cross Bhavan at Srinagar is expedited and completed latest by summer 2018. The Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu were asked to identify Red Cross Volunteers who have done commendable humanitarian work and recommend them for State level Awards to acknowledge their contributions.
Governor directed General Secretary, IRCS to bring out an annual calendar for the training of State and District Disaster Response Teams and stock sufficient quantity of relief material such as tents, blankets, first aid kits at appropriate locations where these could be used immediately and managed efficiently, during any disaster/emergency situation.
While reviewing the present status of the Jan Aushadi Scheme, the Committee unanimously agreed upon the need for creating wide spread awareness about the availability of generic drugs at the Jan Aushadi Generic Drug Stores. Governor urged Bali Bhagat, Minister for Health & Medical Education, to ensure opening of a large number of Jan Aushadi stores in the State and also ensure adequate availability of medicines.
Bali Bhagat, Minister for Health & Medical Education; B. B. Vyas, Chief Secretary; Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to the Governor; R.K Goyal, Principal Secretary, Home; Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Principal Secretary, Health & Medical Education; Dr. Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Baseer Ahmad Khan, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Sajad Ahmad Khan, Commissioner/Secretary Social Welfare; Ravi Deep Singh Sahi, IGP CRPF Kashmir participated in the meeting. Besides, A.M. Mir; Dr. B.B Gupta; Dr. Tsering Ladol and Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo; Members of the State Managing Committee, IRCS and Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir Province participated in the meeting.
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