ITANAGAR, Jun 15: Planning Secretary Himanshu Gupta and Special Secretary to CM, Pranab Tayal on Monday led others in donating blood during a voluntary blood donation camp organized by the Arunachal Voluntary Blood Donors Organization at the civil secretariat here to mark the World Blood Donor Day.
Of the 42 voluntary donors who turned up for the camp, 32 were eligible to donate blood.
The state’s pioneer in blood donation, Ramesh Jeke, exhorted the younger generation to come forward and give blood.
Explaining the importance of voluntary blood donation, especially during the Covid-19 lockdown, he said: “Blood is required by everyone every second, and blood donation is the duty of every individual and not just of the hospitals or the government.”
Jeke urged NGOs to include voluntary blood donation programmes in their agendas to meet the blood requirement of the state. He also underscored the need for availability of adequate equipment and manpower at all the 15 blood banks of the state.
Health Minister Alo Libang, who inaugurated the camp with PHE Minister Wangki Lowang, assured that the state government would take all measures to improve the quality of blood-related activities in the state.
Lowang commended the task undertaken by Jeke and appealed to the state government to “provide a blood van to him to carry out his noble activities.”
Several NGOs, including the Galo Welfare Society, the Itanagar Buddhist Cultural Society, I Love Arunachal, Wake Up Arunachal, the Tanw Supun Dukun, and the Theravada Buddhist Society were part of the programme.
A few prominent leaders and officials of the state also donated blood. Libang and Lowang felicitated the NGOs.
Among others, Transport Secretary Dani Sulu, Health Secretary P Parthiban and GA Secretary Sadhana Deori were present on the occasion.
