ERADICATION: THE TIME IS NOW

Speeches :

National PolioPlus Orientation Meet

(August 7^th – 8th, 2008 at New Delhi)

ERADICATION: THE TIME IS NOW

It is my privilege to join Chairman Deepak in welcoming you all – the distinguished guests on the High Table and the Rotary and Innerwheel leaders for the current Rotary year – to this National PolioPlus Orientation Meet, which has over the years become an annual feature.

I am happy to see before me beaming faces full of enthusiasm, of the new leaders who have just taken over the reins of their respective assignments with new dreams, new targets, new areas of involvement and renewed vigour.

The objective of the present conclave, as you all are aware, is to share with one another our common concerns on the prevailing Polio situation in India, to exchange our experiences, get inspired and motivated by our national and international Rotary personalities and then rededicate ourselves to the cause of eradication of Polio from India and the world, to fulfill the cherished dream of Rotary.

Every year we hold this Meet with the new leaders to analyse the available statistics of cases, vertically and horizontally, devise new strategies and go back with fresh determination to wipe out the roots of this dreadful disease for good.

Unfortunately, as the year rolls by, something or the other makes our calculations go haywire pushing us back to square one.

When the figures for 2007 came on board, we got the biggest shock when, for the first time in eight years, Bihar reported a sudden spurt in the number of cases, 502 as against 61 in 2006, with UP taking the second place with 341 cases. Our focus has thus shifted to Bihar from UP where the situation has shown gradual improvement. The trend is continuing. As on 16 May this year, Bihar had already shown 211 cases while UP was trailing behind with only 123 cases.

In this bleak scenario, however, the only silver lining is that P1 type virus was going totally off the board in UP and all the 48 cases were of P3 type virus. Even in Bihar, the scenario is more or less the same..

Friends, another positive change in the UP scenario is that apart from the number of confirmed polio cases having come down significantly, cases from the Muslim community are, for the first time, lesser than the Hindu community.

This is ample evidence of the fact that Rotary’s formation of Muslim Ulema Committee and consistent advocacy with the Muslim community by involving the respected Ulemas and other religious leaders in the Polio eradication campaign and have started yielding satisfactory results.

If this trend continues in the months to come, we shall have no reason to complain that our Muslim fraternity is not co-operating with the programme.

Rotary leaders and Muslim religious leaders are working hand in hand in UP, to ensure that not only UP but the entire nation is rid of the menace of Polio. We have now to think about meeting the new challenges faced in Bihar as we are with the staggering increase in Polio cases in that State. .

I would like to define our ongoing battle against Polio as a race and as you all know, the last few metres in a race are always the most difficult and challenging.

I know that our campaign has been going on for a long time and this may have led to some apathy and fatigue at some places.

This is natural but can we afford to slow down when we are already on the threshold of hitting the goal post.

The time is now to give ourselves a booster dose so that we finish the monumental task assigned to us as soon as we can. It surely requires extraordinary efforts by everyone involved - the government, the Rotary, and all our valued partners.

The hard work put in by your predecessors has presented you with the best chance ever to rid our country and the World from this trauma. Our stubborn will, our widely acknowledged volunteerism, the knowledge and the valuable experience that we have gained, our resources and the organizational skills are all in place.

Of course, there is need for more funds for carrying forward the programme. Efforts towards that end are currently on. The recent announcement of US $ 100 million fresh grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for fighting Polio worldwide has indeed bolstered our spirits. Rotary is expected to raise a matching amount of $ 100 million. I have no doubt that Rotary will, as always, rise to the occasion and India’s Rotarians will not lag behind.

Friends, we have covered a long distance and only some distance remains to be covered. We are on the right track. What we need is a little more speed, a little more volume, and a little more partnership in service. Looking at the vibrant and energetic new leadership before me, both from the Rotary and the Innerwheel,

I have every reason to believe that the time to eradicate Polio decisively and finally is now and you, the new leaders, will surely make it happen during your term - 2008-09.

Please remember that Polio must go. India still is high on the list of countries that report Polio cases. We must therefore, not fail.

If Polio control fails, Rotary fails. Rotarians fail, our prestige fails and our determination fails.

Polio Eradication is a pledge given by Rotary. No other service organization has committed so much for so important a project.

Let us all resolve to do. All and a little more to ensure that in the nest couple of years Polio is the word of the past. Let Rotary not fail – it shoul not – it will not.

Thank you.

Ashokmahajan.com

Service above Self

Speeches :