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Over 10,000 desks-benches for 500 government schools

Once Covid restrictions are lifted and normalcy returns, “we will be taking our Africa Medical Mission to ­Ethiopia led by PRIP Rajendra Saboo, who has conceived this signature project of our district. Unfortunately, we could not travel last year, but plans are in full swing,” says Ajay Madan. Ten new clubs, and 2,000 Rotarians will be added to take the total number of Rotarians to 5,300 by the year-end; 20 new Rotaract clubs and over 1,000 Rotaractors are his target.

Over 10,000 desk-benches will be donated to around 500 government schools. During his installation RI President ­Shekhar Mehta will hand over 2,000 desk-benches to some schools.  “We will take up fresh WinS and Happy Schools projects after completing the ongoing ones by around 15 clubs,” he added

A four-day Rahat medical camp will be held in the upper hills of Uttarakhand to screen at least 50,000 tribals who have no access to hospitals or healthcare. The district clubs will install 10 PET bottle crushing units in Shimla, Mussoorie and Solan, which are big tourism hubs. “We are working out a global grant project for constructing check dams in Shimla, Nahan and ­Mussoorie. In 45 days from July 1, we will be planting two million saplings of different native species across the district. For this we have procured 100kg of bamboo seeds; each kg can sprout 3,500 saplings,” says Madan. For TRF giving, his target is $1 million.

He became a Rotaractor as a college student in 1984 and graduated to Rotary in 1993. “Just to have fun and enjoy fellowship, I joined Rotaract. But slowly, I got attracted to Rotary and started to get involved in mega projects,” he recalls.

Empowering girls is his priority

As RI President Shekhar Mehta hails from his district, “we will focus on some of the thrust areas like literacy, empowering girls and membership growth through Each one bring one that he is championing to take Rotary to the next level,” says Prabir Chatterjee. He is confident of inducting over 1,000 new Rotarians, and starting 20 new clubs, taking the total number of Rotarians past 5,000; and clubs to 190 in the district.

Thirty new Rotaract clubs and 500 new Rotaractors are his target. “I plan to do a number of projects to empower girls through awareness programmes, events on cervical cancer and MHM (menstrual hygiene), which will be held in schools, colleges, urban and rural clusters,” he explains. Self-defence techniques will be taught in schools, colleges and RCC venues through workshops titled Rotary ­Virangana to boost the confidence of girls. “We plan to hold at least 10–15 ­Virangana sessions in a month across the district. Our 14 Rotary eye hospitals will do 40,000 surgeries for needy patients.”

Over 25 Happy Schools will be done through a mix of global grants and club donations. His target for TRF giving is $400,000. With Mehta branding the current DGs as ‘changemakers’, “we need to empower the underprivileged through literacy, healthcare, water and sanitation projects. In fact, Rotary is ushering in peace by Serving to Change Lives.”

Chatterjee joined Rotary in 2000, thanks to his Rotarian friend, only to “enjoy the fellowship and networking. But later on, inspired by the amount of good work being done by the clubs I became proactive and took up projects to serve the people.”

Medical centres in NCR; check dams in Rajasthan

A couple of catechisms, namely, Do more, grow more and Each one, bring one as coined by RI President Shekhar Mehta will be the cornerstone for devising projects and doing public image initiatives. Comprising Delhi and NCR, his district has 122 clubs and 3,800 Rotarians, and “we hope to start 25 new clubs and add 1,000 new members,” he says. His Rotaract goal is 30 new clubs and 600 new Rotaractors, to take the total to over 2,600.

He will be starting a 15-bed ICU Covid centre at the Vardan Multi Specialty Hospital in Ghaziabad through a $120,000 GG. Two dialysis centres (GG: ₹1.2 crore) will come up at the Asha Kiran Hospital and Shri Tirupati Hospital, both in Ghaziabad. A diagnostic centre (₹1.20 crore) having an array of ultrasound, X-ray and CT scan machines will be set up at Noida; and a special CT scan unit will be installed at the Shri Jagannath Charitable Cancer Hospital, Ghaziabad at a cost of ₹1.6 crore.

Among the global grant projects are 20 check dams (₹60 lakh) which will be constructed at villages in Rajasthan. “We will do 10 Happy Schools in Sonipat, Haryana, and five PHCs there will be upgraded with modern medical facilities. These two projects will be done through global grants.” The Asha health workers at the PHCs will be trained by the clubs. His TRF goal: $600,000. Aggarwal joined Rotary in 1996–97 with the help of his friend Rtn Anil Sharma.

Rotaractors and healthcare, his focus

Due to lockdown restrictions, all the 65 clubs in the district are holding weekly zoom meetings to interact and chart out projects with their members. “Once the government relaxes the lockdown norms, we will take up field activities with renewed vigour. I plan to start at least 20 new clubs and induct 1,200 Rotarians to raise the headcount to 3,900 in my year,” says Sanjay Malviya. All clubs will be asked to sponsor at least one Rotaract club. At present there are about 350 Rotaractors across 12 Rotaract clubs, “but we hope to add over 1,000 Rotaractors through promotional events.”

The clubs will take up over 10,000 cataract surgeries and renovate government hospitals in major cities. “District hospitals will get a facelift through a mix of DDF, sponsors and member contributions.” More than 100,000 saplings will be distributed to give a green push. “We have been doing WinS projects for over three years and this year, clubs will take up Happy Schools events at 100 institutions in which their basic amenities and classroom facilities will be revamped,” explains Malviya. A mammography bus (GG $100,000) will be introduced in September to screen rural women in Rajasthan. “We hope to invite CM Ashok Gehlot to flag-off this project as it will boost our public image.” His target for TRF is $400,000. He wants Rotary to become an attractive platform for “people to give back to society what they have learned and earned in life.” His father Rtn Ram Narayan Malviya inspired him to join Rotary in 1999.

Concentrating on healthcare, green and water projects

A series of NCD camps under Project Positive Health will be conducted reaching out to at least 100,000 patients, says Sundharalingam, who has lined up diverse projects across the seven focus areas of Rotary. “We have plans to construct five check dams through a mix of global grants and club donations. To provide safe drinking water, we will install 12 RO plants on the premises of Rotarians’ houses. These will be accessible to the local community,” he explains.

Distributing 1,000 terrace garden kits to Rotarians and the public to usher in a green environment is on his to-do list. “Each club will donate a milch cow to a rural family to ensure a sustainable livelihood, and free mammograms will be done for needy women.” He has also urged clubs to take up Miyawaki forests ­wherever possible “depending on the availability of land given by the government and donors.” Over 150 solar lamps to tribal villages, an artificial limb centre and an oxygen tank to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Hospital in Salem, for which the district has donated ₹25 lakh to Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, are in the pipeline.

Ten new clubs and 1,500 new Rotarians; chartering 50 community-based Rotaract clubs, and adding 500 more Rotaractors are also planned. His target for TRF giving is $750,000. In 1994, he along with his friends started a community-based Rotaract Club of Silver City. However, due to business commitment, he left it in 1997, and after a gap joined Rotary once again in 2005.