Chandigarh, May 27: Strongly advocating the need for enlarging the boundaries of compassion, care and concern for the poor and needy, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, General Dr. S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM (Retd.), called upon the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and social activists to play a pro-active role in alleviating human sufferings and empowering the people who have remained so far out of the loop even after 60 years of Independence. He said that the Chandigarh Administration has already started the process of activating the NGO’s role in our social system through a defined charter of responsibilities in different sectors of social service.
Addressing the 9th Annual General Meet of LIFE LINE, a NGO dedicated to the cause of helping the un-known accident victims in road accidents and brought to PGI and Sector 32, Hospital, here this evening, General Rodrigues said that its ideals are in complete accord with the glorious traditions and value systems of our 5000 year old civilization, which envisages the need to pay one’s debt to humanity. He emphasized that such an approach will not only help in meeting the legitimate aspirations of the needy but also contribute in building the India of our dreams.
General Rodrigues said that India has a multilingual and multicultural society with different cultures, various religious affinities and languages and all its citizens are entitled with equal empowerment opportunities to grow and flourish. He said that in consonance with this concept, over 300 development project have been launched in Chandigarh and various opportunities to move ahead are available for everyone irrespective of any religion, caste or creed and the need is to reorient our approach and work together by taking bold initiatives and shedding outdated rituals. He said that we have also started a series of programmes for the whole region, which included Home-cum-Vocational Training Center for Street Children, Crippled Children and Mentally Retarded Children. He said that an ambitious programme of upgrading the health standards of people have been implemented by upgrading Super Specialty Hospital Sector 16 and GMCH, Sector 32 besides opening drug de-addiction centers equipped with components of Education and Rehabilitation programmes to the drug addicts to make them contributing members of our society. He said that the project of Medicity have been conceived with the sole aim of providing quality healthcare services to the middle class with subsidized world class treatment for the poor and needy & the training of 300 girls each year as nurses. He made it clear that this giant public utility project initiated in the City has been processed in a transparent and open manner with the participation of experts and professionals in the larger interests of society. He appealed to the members of Life Line to actively involve in all these programmes through the concept of ‘partnership’ and ‘ownership’ for benefiting the needy.
General Rodrigues honoured three doctors including Dr. Uppal Sein Gupta, Dr. Arjun Dutt and Dr. Vineet Goel with Manav Seva Samman award on the occasion. Dr. K.K. Talwar, Director PGIMER and Dr. Raj Bahadur, Director-Principal of GMCH, Sector 32 while speaking on the occasion appreciated the voluntary services of Life Line Members in their respective institutions for giving timely help to the needy patients. Mr. Ravinder Gupta, President of Life Line, while speaking on the occasion highlighted the activities of their organizations which included help to the needy patients in Hospitals, managing accommodation in Sarais and Rein Basera in PGI, provision of Ambulance Vans and Mortuary Vans and so on.
Mrs. Jean Rodrigues, wife of the Punjab Governor and various eminent people of corporate and trade sectors were present on the occasion.