RELIEF OPERATIONS IN VARIOUS CALAMITIES IN INDIA RSS HAS BEEN THE FIRST TO SERVE WITHOUT ANY SELFISH MOTIVES Relief and rehabilitation This is a long and continuous tradition with the RSS. The RSS was instrumental in relief efforts after the 1971 Orissa Cyclone and the 1977 Andhra Pradesh Cyclone.[84] An RSS-affiliated NGO, Seva Bharati, has adopted 57 children (38 Muslims and 19 Hindus) from militancy affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir to provide them education at least up to Higher Secondary level.[85][86] They have also taken care of victims of the Kargil War of 1999.[87] Natural calamities The RSS assisted in relief efforts during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. They helped rebuild villages.[88] They "earned kudos" from many varied agencies and sources for their actions.[84] For instance, in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, K. Srinivas, District Collector of Ahmedabad, Indian newsmagazine Outlook and India Today reported: This is an old tradition in the RSS. To be the first at any disaster strike: floods, cyclone, drought and now quake. In Kutch, too, the RSS was the first to reach the affected areas. At Anjar, a town in ruins, the RSS was present much before the Army took the lead in finding survivors and fishing out the dead. —K. Srinivas, District collector, Ahmedabad Literally within minutes RSS volunteers were at the scenes of distress. Across Gujarat, the (RSS) cadres were the saviors. Even as the state machinery went comatose in the first two days after the quake, the cadre-based machinery of the Sangh fanned out throughout the state. Approximately 35,000 RSS members in uniform were pressed into service. —Outlook, [89] It is conceded by even their worst detractors that the RSS has been in the forefront of the non-official rescue and relief (operations). This has led to an upsurge of goodwill for the Sangh —India Today, [90] Seva Bharati conducted relief operations in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Activities included building shelters for the victims, providing food, clothes and medical necessities.[91] The RSS assisted relief efforts during the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and the subsequent tsunami.[92] In 2006, RSS participated in relief efforts to provide basic necessities such as food, milk and potable water to the people of Surat, Gujarat who were affected by massive floods in the region.[93] The RSS volunteers carried out relief and rehabilitation work after the floods ravaged North Karnataka and some districts of the state of Andhra Pradesh.[94] According to Cho Ramaswamy, the editor of Tughlaq magazine, the RSS-sponsored Seva Bharati did provide service following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, despite a lack of formal acknowledgment.[95] In 2013, following the Uttarakhand floods, RSS volunteers were involved in flood-relief works through its offices set up at various affected areas
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:21:22 +0000
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