New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to friends and well-wishers not to celebrate his birthday and instead dedicate themselves towards relief work in Jammu and Kashmir.
“I am hearing from different places that friends and well-wishers are planning various programmes and events for my birthday. My humble request – do not celebrate my birthday. Instead, dedicate yourselves towards relief work in Jammu and Kashmir through your time and resources. The need of the hour is to stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir,” Prime Minister Modi said.
“On 17th, President Xi Jinping will be in Gujarat. We look forward to extending a warm welcome to him but there will be no birthday celebrations,” he added.
The comments come even as Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan proposed that boats be mobilised to send medical supplies to the people of the inundated areas of Srinagar.
Returning after a day’s tour of the flood ravaged areas, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had positively responded to his proposal.
“The Chief Minister has directed his officials to mobilise the available boats and start something on an urgent basis. Meanwhile, I am arranging for accelerating the supply side especially in respect of doctors and health workers,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir GovernorNarendra Nath Vora had also agreed to push this idea. People suffering from diabetes, hypertension among the cut-off population need to be urgently provided their dozes of medicines. Only boats laden with such drugs can access such people.
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister praised the functioning of the reverse osmosis water treatment plants sent through Red Cross.
The Central Government had also sent 80 women gynaecologists whose role had met with wide appreciation among the affected population.
Simultaneously, the Union Health Minister has urged the state’s health secretary and other officials of the urgent need to dispose of the carcasses lying around Srinagar.
Pointing out that a number of diseases could spread because of the omnipresence of dead animals, he urged the launch of an information-education-communication-intervention offensive to make people conscious of the need to boil water before drinking and observing other hygienic parameters in the present situation.
“I have urged for central monitoring of the supply of filtered water. For people cut off I have advised that chlorine tablets be supplied. Just one tablet dissolved in 20 litres of water after 30 minutes could safeguard people against water borne diseases,” Dr Vardhan pointed out.
The Health Minister appreciated the work of the Army, BSF and other agencies which are working round the clock to reach succour to the affected population.
“There are a large number of doctors from Delhi’s central government hospitals who rushed there at this calamitous time. I can’t muster enough words in their praise,” he said.
Accompanied by officials of the Health Ministry including Dr P. Ravindran, Director, Emergency Medical Relief, Dr Venkatesh, Additional Director, National Centre for Disease Control, and Anshu Prakash, Joint Secretary, the Health Minister visited the Hum Huma Relief Camp in Srinagar.
He visited the 60-bed composite hospital run by the BSF. His special concern was the neo-natal cases and he inquired into their care. He stopped at the Ada Sayad Memorial District Hospital in Budgaon and interacted with doctors and patients. At the Army Base Hospital he inspected the facilities to treat premature birth cases.
Dr Vardhan, who visited the affected areas of Jammu and Poonch yesterday, also met Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami, who is camping in Srinagar.
“We discussed how best the relief work can be coordinated,” he added.
Over 1,84,000 persons have been rescued so far by the armed forces and NDRF from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the flood ravaged state.
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(With ANI, PTI inputs)