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The volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendras (NYKs) engaged in the relief operations in the 17 tsunami affected districts in four States, will now undertake the activities like cleaning and house construction, vocational training to fishermen on boat repairing, trauma and career counseling, identification of orphans and their rehabilitation desilting of lands specially on salt producing lands in Andhra Pradesh, and sending teams of carpenters, plumbers and electricians to A&N islands.
The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Sunil Dutt who has extensively toured and camped in the affected areas in Andamans, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry to oversee the relief operations, has sanctioned setting up of Counselling Centres for organizing lifeskill counseling services for one year, Help Lines at District Hqrs to assist the affected people for one year and Residential Camps for 200 participants for three months in each affected district. An amount of Rs. 3,04,18,500/- has been sanctioned for these programmes and the activities being run by the volunteers of NYKs and National Service Scheme (NSS).
On an average 250 volunteers of NYKs are engaged in every major affected districts in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and A&N Islands. Volunteers are mainly helping the administration in distributing relief materials, reaching medical help to people, running community kitchens, listing of affected people and cleaning of debris. Except Nicobar islands which remained cut off, necessary arrangement was in place within first three days.
Volunteers are also stationed in different islands of A&N districts. Damage in these islands such as Kachal, Hut Bay, Campbell Bay, Nancowri, and Car Nicobar being extraordinary, more and more volunteers from less affected places such as Rangat and Diglipur are being mobilized. The officers from unaffected districts have been deputed in the affected districts. Mr. Shakeel Ahmad, Vice-Chairman has been camping at Cambell Bay and the Executive Director, NYKs at Port Blair for last few days.
The NSS has also done rescue and rehabilitation work through NSS volunteers in the tsunami affected areas. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala regions of NSS were under active action in which 2250, 1800 and 5200 NSS volunteers were rendering relief services respectively. In Tamil Nadu, the NSS has distributed 25,500 food packets for 2500 families. The NSS Programme Adviser’s Cell is in close contact with the regional centers as well as the field functionaries.
VBA/SK.
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