By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Taking note of the fact that Meghalaya and Assam are constantly hit by law and order problem, the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Meghalaya State Branch (MSB) on Wednesday decided to strategize its plan of action by emphasizing on first aid, relief, rehabilitation and relocation of dislocated people besides gender sensitization.
“With law and order being a constant problem in the border areas of the two states of Meghalaya and Assam, there is a need to assist people who are dislocated by providing them temporary and permanent shelters,” observed retired IPS officer WR Marbaniang, a member of the IRCS-MSB.
Marbaniang was addressing a strategic planning workshop and emblem awareness seminar organised by the IRCS-MSB at Step by Step School here on Wednesday.
Stating that IRCS plays an important role in providing relief to people in need, Marbaniang asserted that this role should be served selflessly leaving no room for political influences.
He, further, stressed on the need to uphold neutrality as sacred and to rip off any kind of differences of creed, colour, religion, caste and the likes.
“Being one of the most respectable organizations in the world, differences and discrimination should be barred. There is a need to impart these kinds of ideologies into the minds of the young people in educational institutions,” Marbaniang added.
He also stated that the Red Cross needs to be equipped with both material and human resources to address emergencies. A small control room like an emergency operation centre is also required to help people in need.
With emergency operation centres being initiated by the state government, it would prove beneficial and useful if the government, Civil Defense department and the Red Cross work in tandem, he observed.
Among other strategic plans decided by the IRCS-MSB here included extension of Junior Red Cross (JRC) and Youth Red Cross (YRC) to the district levels, training and counseling, voluntary blood donation camps, supply of stock relief material by the managing body to the respective YRC, rehab camps and plan for emblem awareness which included imparting knowledge to the masses on the meaning of the different emblems represented by institutions like hospitals, pharmacies, ambulances, doctors and Red Cross.
Meanwhile, a resource person from the Indian Red Cross Society in charge of North East, Diganta Bora, provided a brief introduction of the formation of the Red Cross Society across the world.
Elaborating on the basic mandate of the Red Cross, Bora said its role is to achieve and contribute in terms of health, disaster management, and limitless activities.