Volunteers unit launched

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 19.

A National Mission on Volunteering and Action headed by the former Chief Justice, Mr. Justice (retd.) Venkatachaliah, has been launched here under the auspices of the United Nations Volunteers.

While Sri Akshya Bhai of the National Organisation of Volunteers Association (NOVA) will serve as its Secretary- General, Mr.Justice J. S. Verma, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission; Mr. N. C. Gaur, Secretary-General of All-India Panchayat Sangathan, Mr. Sewak Sharan, Co-Ordinating Vice- Chancellor, Institute of Holistic Science, Lt. Gen Malik (retd) are proposed to be its members.

A three-hour intensive brainstorming session was held at the UNDP Conference Hall this past week-end to chalk out the future course of action. It was agreed to have regional and statewise co-ordinators so that volunteering becomes a national mission in all sectors of social, economic, educational and in other developmental areas.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Justice( retd) Venkatachaliah said the State had become an exhausted apparatus and voluntarism had become the urgent need of the times.``The civil society has allowed itself to be treated in a shabby manner. This has generated a culture of irresponsibility in the country,'' he rued.

In his address, Dr. Kamal Taori, Advisor, Inter-State Council said there was an urgent need to shift from charity to creativity, capacity and confidence building. Local planning and utilisation of local knowledge for cost reduction and better replication of processes at the loca level had become necessary, he pointed out.

Volunteering, it was further observed by those who participated at the brain-storming session, requires mindsetting, clarity, attitude and convergence. Hence, panchayat Raj institutions, schools, colleges, spiritual institutions, NGOs, IT companies, trainers, retired army officers and various other groups should be requested to share their resources and experiences by networking.

Mr. Shantam Seth, India Co-Ordinator of the United Nations Volunteers presided over the meeting. He laid stress on the importance of voluntarism by referring to the economic benefit that it brings in the long-run.

The meeting took stock of the past, present and future around volunteering and charted out the diameters and dimensions of action which, it was argued, will require training, shramdan, marketing, recognition, rewards, propogation, codification and planning -- all leading to confidence building of the people and the community.

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