IRCS blazing new trails in rural areas

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, FEB. 10. After a much-needed revamp six months ago, the Karnataka State Branch of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) is blazing new trails in the rural areas.

The Governor, Ms. V.S.Rama Devi, who is president of the society, having taken a serious view of the fact that most of the district branches of the IRCS had been defunct for the past seven years, has extensively toured the 27 district headquarters of the unit to reactivate the branches, apart from ensuring that taluk branches are set up.

Ms. Rama Devi told presspoersons here today that the IRCS Executive Committee had decided to look ahead and plan to function more effectively to reach out to a larger number of people, instead of wasting time on post-mortems of what had gone wrong in the past four decades. In fact, the revamped ICRS had done so well in the past six months that its main office in Delhi, which was considering closing the Bangalore Red Cross Home and selling off the property, was now being persuaded to re-think its decision.

The Governor has written to the main office asking for the Home to be handed over to the Bangalore branch of the IRCS for management to enable wounded soldiers to be housed there.

IRCS membership had risen from 7,000 to over 21,000, and for the first time, appeals to the Chief Minister (who is the vice- president of the society) has resulted in a grant of Rs. 1 crore from the Government, not to mention matching grants from the Centre and the Central Red Cross Society, she said.

The Governor said the Blood Bank had conducted 69 camps and collected 3,485 units of blood. The Family Welfare Centre was actively holding health camps, sterilisation, vaccination and immunistion programmes regularly. Over 54 schools were registered with the Junior Red Cross, while 4,500 students had appeared for the Red Cross examination.

Ms Rama Devi said the State's IRCS branch now had vehicles and adequate infrastructure, and was acquiring office space and buildings for all its branches for more effective operation.

While a Government circular directed zilla panchayats and grama panchayats to donate Rs. 5,000 each per annum for the IRCS, some zilla panchayats had donated Rs. 2 lakhs each, Ms. Rama Devi said.

Appeals from the managing body and the executive committee of the IRCS to universities, institutions, industries, co-operatives and individuals for liberal donations had fetched a consuderable amount, and members of Parliament had given 10 per cent of their MPLADS funds for Red Cross activities.The IRCS Website, donated by Kinsfolk Technologies, was inaugurated at Dharwad this week.

Blood banks and premises for the society's branches were being set up with these funds, while schools and colleges were responding 2well to the idea of conducting Red Cross actitives for students. An IRCS-Institutional Membership Corpus Fund had been set up and had grown to Rs. 9.8 lakhs. Donors included the Infosys Foundation (Rs. 5 lakhs for service of the handicapped), while collections for the Gujarat earthquake relief fund had crossed Rs. 16 lakhs. By February 13, the society hoped to contribute Rs. 32 lakhs, apart from sending a lorry load of medicines, foodgrains, blankets and clothes to Gujarat.

Ms. Rama Devi said she would continue to monitor the progress of the society and ensure that all branches developed a good rapport with the people and institutions in their areas, and they operated effectively. ``Please focus on the activities, and not on the individuals,'' was her request to the media whose co- operation she sought in the task of reaching Red Cross aid to more people.

The Health Minister, Dr A.B.Maalakaraddy is the Chairman of the IRCS, Dr. D.M.Nanjundappa its Vice-Chairman, Mr. S.V.Srinivasa Murthy the General Secretary, and Mr. B.L.S.Murthy honorary treasurer.

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