The Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and NSS Volunteers are continuing their rescue and relief work in Tsunami affected areas of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala. At a review meeting held here today, the Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Sunil Dutt applauded the relief work undertaken by the NYKS and NSS volunteers in all the affected areas including the difficult terrain of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. He appreciated the fact that in all the affected districts, the NYKS volunteers were the first ones to reach the sites of the disaster and were actively involved in saving lives.
According to the information received here by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports from various Kendras, thousands of NYKS volunteers affiliated to the local Youth Clubs are engaged in rescue work. In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the members of Youth Clubs are mainly involved in shifting people, arranging drinking water, preparing food in community kitchen and setting up of make-shift shelters for those who are staying outside their houses fearing after-shocks. Similarly, in Kollam and Alleppey Districts of Kerala, the volunteers are engaged in relief work along with the District Administration. The Youth Club Members are engaged in relief and rehabilitation work in several villages in Krishna, Guntur, Kakinada, Nellore and Elaru Districts of Andhra Pradesh. The members of local Youth Clubs have been mobilised to join rehabilitation work in coordination with the District Administration.
In Tamil Nadu, the NYKS volunteers are working round the clock with the District Adminisration in Chennai, Cuddalure, Kanyakumari and Kanjeepuram. The Youth Club members are running medical camps and also collecting clothes and relief material for distributing amongst the affected people. The volunteers of Kanyakumari Kendra in their report have stated that clothes are immediately required for the affected people.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has instructed to deploy maximum numbers of NSS volunteers in rescue and relief work. Over 2,500 NSS volunteers from Andhra University, Acharya Nagarjuna University and Sri Venkateswara University are engaged in the task of distribution of food packets and drinking water; assisting health authorities for medical relief work; shifting people from low lying areas to safe places; collection of relief material and counselling the affected people who lost their close relatives. Similarly, a large number of NSS volunteers have been working in the affected districts in Kerla, Tamil Nadu and Pondichery. NSS camps have been set up in the affected areas of coastal belt.
In the meanwhile, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has sanctioned 390 Mega Work Camps at the cost of rupees 1.95 Crore for putting up rescue camps, community kitchens, reconstruction of damaged houses of poor and establishments like schools, Public Health Centres etc. As a long term measure, following three programmes have been sanctioned to NYKS in all the 17 affected districts: (i) Setting up of Counselling Centres for organizing lifeskill counselling services; (ii) Setting up of a Help Lines at District Hqrs.; (iii) Residential Camps for 200 participants for three months in each affected district. The projects will involve an expenditure of rupees 1.20 Crore.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has also been asked to coordinate with the District Administration in the affected districts and extend the services of SAI personnel for relief and rehabilitation works. SAI Centre at Pondicherry is already being used by the District Administration for relief work with the help of its staff. The Centre at Port Blair has got 32 children who are all safe and this Centred is also being utilised for lodging children from other schools as well.
The Ministry has also announced the postponement of the annual National Youth Festival, scheduled to be held at Hyderabad from 12th to 17th January. The Officials of the Ministry and its apex bodies like Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangthan, NSS, Sports Authority of India and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Youth Development etc have decided to donate their one day’s salary towards Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.