Telangana: Covid-19 service activities

Somajiguda: Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday asked the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Telangana branch, to intensify its effort to reach out to more people during the Covid-19 crisis. "As the second wave of Covid-19 is more effective, it's time that IRCS should increase its activities. Volunteers must take up a wide variety of service activities, she added.

The Governor, who is president of the IRCS TS unit, reviewed the functioning of all 33 district units through a video conference from Pondicherry, where she's holding an additional charge as Lt. Governor.

"The district units need to come up with innovative initiatives to reach out to the needy. It is a bounden duty of the IRCS units to help, motivate and facilitate vaccination of tribal and other vulnerable people in their respective areas," she added. Dr Soundararajan announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each to the IRCS urban units of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Warangal (Urban) districts and sanctioned Rs 50,000 each to all the remaining district units.

"The amount needs to be used to facilitate transportation of tribal people and other under-privileged sections to vaccination centres. Ensuring all eligible tribals need to get vaccinated along with slum-dwellers in the State should be a top priority," the Governor added.

Dr Soundararajan called for increasing enrollment of active number of volunteers. At least 1,000 to 1,500 active volunteers must be there in each district to carry out the service activities during this pandemic period. The IRCS units should submit district-wise reports detailing the number of masks distributed, people motivated and facilitated to get vaccinated, blood donation camps organised, volunteers enrolled and other activities initiated, the Governer stated.

"Motivating public to strictly follow the Covid-appropriate behaviour and to get vaccinated are vital in containing the pandemic outbreak from further escalation," she said.

All the district units' representatives appraised the Governor of the activities during the video conference. Secretary to Governor K. Surendra Mohan, joint secretaries and other senior officials of the Raj Bhavan were present.