National Service Scheme Latest News, a large number of National Service Scheme (NSS) students from colleges in the city would be at pulse polio booths helping the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in pulse polio drive that starts from Sunday across 24 wards.
BMC will be conducting vaccination of children below the age of five under Mission Indradhanush project led by the Central Government. Mission Indradhanush is the project initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
It is not just students, but also nurses from hospitals, volunteers from NGOs would be involved in the drive to help BMC make the drive successful. The reason behind inviting these volunteers is, the Community Health Volunteers (CHV) — around 4,000 in number, who usually participate in this work, were on a strike since August 3 to August 4 evening. While the Mahapalika Arogya Seva Karmachari Sanghatna (MASKS) after meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the evening have deferred the strike, students were still part of the drive according to NSS coordinator.
Vijendra Shekhawat, National College NSS area coordinator, Mumbai University, western suburb, said, “All NSS units were requested to show the support for this drive due to scarcity of manpower for drive with the BMC. From our college itself 84 booths will be covered in Bandra. To best of my knowledge all college NSS units will be helping BMC. Volunteers are also looking forward with great enthusiasm. This very ambitious and significant project for our country. We have not been informed about strike being called off, so our NSS volunteers are still participating. Wherever the CHV’s wont reach there our students will help in giving polio dose, wherever CHV’s will come, our students will create awareness in area going door to door to find children for polio dose.”
Dr. Chandrashekhar Chiplunkar, Assistant Health Officer, BMC, said, “Because the CHV’s are on strike, we had to take help of NSS students from all the colleges and also from nurses and people from NGO’s to make this drive successful. All the volunteers including students have been trained by local ward officials health department.”
Prakash Devdas, Advocate, President of MASKS, said, “Our demands were to give minimum wages to CHV’s as per the rule. Maternity leave of six months to these volunteers, Provident funds and pension etc. The chief minister have asked BMC higher authorities to discuss with union and given date on 7 August for meeting. Till then our protest is deferred and our CHV’s will work in drive.”