Himachal Classes 9-12 students to train as first-aid providers volunteer with Red Cross

Shimla, July 25 (PTI) Students of classes 9 to 12 will be trained as first-aid providers and inducted as volunteers in the State Red Cross Society, Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said on Thursday.
    Chairing a meeting of the Himachal Pradesh State Red Cross Management Committee, Shandil said school students would be roped in and specially trained under the Junior Red Cross to provide first-aid facilities, including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), a statement issued here said.
    He said training camps will be organised across the state and certificates will be provided to the students. College and university students will also be connected with this campaign through the Youth Red Cross, the minister added.
    Shandil said in the statement that over the years, the Red Cross Society has been organising plantation drives across the state.     
    Volunteers should be tasked with ensuring that the saplings are regularly looked after and properly cared for to ensure the success of such drives, he said.
    It was our duty to plant more trees to pass on a healthy and resource-rich environment to our future generations, Shandil said in the statement.
    The State Red Cross Society has released Rs 50 lakh for the construction of Sarai Bhawan near PGI Satellite Centre, Una, the minister said.
    Besides this, Sarai Bhawan has been constructed by the Red Cross Society near Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, District Kangra, he said.
    Shandil, who is also the chairperson of the committee, commended the Red Cross Society for its efforts at the state, district, and sub-divisional levels. He particularly praised the society's relief, rescue, and rehabilitation work during last year's monsoon disaster.
    The health minister said that during any natural or man-made disasters, Red Cross volunteers always participate enthusiastically in relief and rescue operations, providing crucial medical care to those in need. He said that given the importance of the Red Cross in society, efforts should be made to organise activities in a more effective manner.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)