It is a matter of great pride for all Rotarians worldwide that India has completed three years without any case of polio, qualifying it for the WHO certification for Polio-Free India, said Rakesh Aggarwal, District Governor of Rotary International District 3080, who was in the city today on his official visit to the Rotary Club of Chandigarh.
He complimented Rotary Club of Chandigarh for celebrating this milestone by illuminating the Neelam city building in Sector 17 Plaza by Mr. Anil Kumar, IAS, Home Secretary, UT Chandigarh, in the evening, as also the Rotary House. Buildings all across the nation including India Gate and Red Fort would be illuminated to mark the occasion, he informed.
Rotary worldwide has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication efforts since 1985 when Rotary mooted this project and later brought on board WHO, UNICEF, US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and the national governments of countries around the world.
The three-year achievement also sets the stage for the polio-free certification of the entire South East Asia Region of the World Health Organization in the first quarter of 2014 by the Regional Certification Committee.
Rotary says the challenge now is to replicate India’s success in neighboring Pakistan (which is in a different WHO region), one of three remaining polio-endemic countries. Afghanistan and Nigeria are the others. Collectively, they create a reservoir from which the opportunistic disease can emerge to re-infect areas where it had been previously stopped. So-called “imported cases” are occurring now in Syria and several African countries. In 2013, imported cases in non-endemic countries outnumbered the total in the endemic countries 224 to 145, underscoring the importance of stopping the virus where it remains endemic.
Rotary Governor Rakesh Aggarwal also presented hearing aids to children of Patiala School for the Deaf.
President Hassan Singh Mejie of Rotary Club of Chandigarh informed that Gift of Hearing project was launched last year in collaboration with The Rotary Foundation and the partner Rotary Club of Charlotte, USA of Rotary District 7680, to restore the world of sounds amongst children with hearing disorders. So far, he informed, 29 aids have been given to the deaf and mute children who are now being further rehabilitated by speech therapist to decipher sound and language.
Earlier in the morning, Governor Rakesh Aggarwal and President Hassan Singh Mejie alongwith members of Rotary Club of Chandigarh presented two wheel chairs to the Chandigarh Railway Station for the convenience of the physically challenged, weak and old passengers.
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| People positioned themselves in front of the giant Rotary wheel in front of the Neelam theatre and clicked their heart out. |
He complimented Rotary Club of Chandigarh for celebrating this milestone by illuminating the Neelam city building in Sector 17 Plaza by Mr. Anil Kumar, IAS, Home Secretary, UT Chandigarh, in the evening, as also the Rotary House. Buildings all across the nation including India Gate and Red Fort would be illuminated to mark the occasion, he informed.
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| People eagerly watched the Rotary's journey and efforts in eradicating polio |
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| District Governor Rakesh Aggarwal, IPDG Manmohan Singh, Pres. Hassan Singh Mejie along with other Rotarians of Rotary Club of Chandigarh, and the Rotaractors |
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| UT Home Secretary, Mr. Anil Kumar IAS (third from right) watches the video after illuminating the Neelam theatre building, along with PDG Madhukar Malhotra, and Assistant Governor Ajit Gulati at Sector 17 Plaza. |
Rotary Governor Rakesh Aggarwal also presented hearing aids to children of Patiala School for the Deaf.
President Hassan Singh Mejie of Rotary Club of Chandigarh informed that Gift of Hearing project was launched last year in collaboration with The Rotary Foundation and the partner Rotary Club of Charlotte, USA of Rotary District 7680, to restore the world of sounds amongst children with hearing disorders. So far, he informed, 29 aids have been given to the deaf and mute children who are now being further rehabilitated by speech therapist to decipher sound and language.
Earlier in the morning, Governor Rakesh Aggarwal and President Hassan Singh Mejie alongwith members of Rotary Club of Chandigarh presented two wheel chairs to the Chandigarh Railway Station for the convenience of the physically challenged, weak and old passengers.
