President of India Presides Over the Ceremonial Session of the Annual General Meeting of Indian Red Cross…

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presided over the ceremonial session of the Annual General Meeting of Indian Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance (India) and presented awards for the best performing branches and distinguished Red Cross/St. John volunteers/workers today (August 30, 2016) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the winners of the awards and said that the awards are a fitting recognition of the outstanding work of individuals and organizations in relief and rescue, promoting health, providing care to the vulnerable and advancing these objectives by educating communities.

The President said that we live in an age when so called ‘Man-made disasters’ are the order of the day. The work of the Red Cross in risk reduction, capacity building, humanitarian logistics, development work, disaster and crisis management has been invaluable in providing relief and succor across the world. Migration - whether internal or across borders is always a cause of concern. In such situations the need is - not only of material relief and involvement of well-trained volunteers - but also for hands-on support by society at large - delivered in a sensitive and humane manner. He stressed that our vast country needs more numbers – more skilled human resources - not only for times of trouble but also when normalcy prevails - to help bring our Government’s social programmes within reach of the target communities. He lauded the exercise made by the Indian Red Cross Society to join the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” programme and the "Swachh Bharat” initiative.

The President encouraged involvement of the younger generations in programmes for small children and the aged. He stated that with greater numbers of students joining the Indian Red Cross and the St John Ambulance, a key aspect of their overall education will be achieved. Capacity development at school level should inculcate, at a tender age, the values of selfless service to society; these values should make our children sensitive and alert to social ills so that they can focus on these in a positive way and contribute to the development of innovative solutions.

This release issued at 1420 hrs.