‘Youth Red Cross volunteers should help vulnerable people’

BHUBANESWAR: “Youth Red Cross volunteers should be the messengers of peace and progress,” said Principal Secretary Higher Education Gagan Kumar Dhal while addressing the trainees in the valedictory function of five-day inter State Youth Red Cross study-cum-training camp here on Friday.

Attending as the chief guest, Dhal said the king Ashoka was transformed from the ‘man of war’ to ‘man of peace’ from the sacred land of Kalinga. Like that the Youth Red Cross volunteers assembled here should carry the message of peace to the grassroots, he added.

Acting Head of Delegation South Asia, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), Simon Peter Brooks attending as distinguished guest said that many people are getting affected due to increasing conflict and weather related disasters in the world. Under such circumstances, Youth Red Cross volunteers should play a vital role in reaching out to the most vulnerable people locally and globally.

Prizes and certificates were distributed to the winners of various competitions. Ramananda Kumar from Uttarakhand and Sanjukta Subudhi from Rajdhani College here were awarded as the best Youth Red Cross volunteers in the valedictory function.

IRCS-OSB honorary secretary Mangala Prasad Mohanty presided over the valedictory function. Among others, North Odisha University Vice-Chancellor Prof Sanghamitra Mohanty, Political and Communication Advisor of ICRC Surinder Singh Oberoi and Youth Red Cross Officer and camp director Dr Sarita Supkar were present.