pranav

It is hard to believe that two years have passed since Rotary started its campaign against Covid and more than a year since the Rotary clubs started their active participation in the vaccination programme. Rotary in India established a partnership with many State Governments to promote the Covid vaccination drive. We can say that lakhs of people have been mobilised by Rotary’s advocacy efforts to get the jabs and we have also addressed the issue of vaccine hesitancy in the society. Rotary clubs provided centres free of cost to the Government with facilities to conduct vaccination camps in all parts of India. Nearly 500,000 people were vaccinated in these camps. Some Rotary clubs established hospitals at short notice and provided over 1,500 beds to Covid patients. Oxygen plants were established in many hospitals by Rotary clubs to augment supply and medicines were given free of cost to the patients. Nearly three thousand oxygen concentrators were imported by Rotary and supplied to various hospitals at short notice. Individuals were also given concentrators if they needed. Refrigerators were procured and supplied to Government for maintaining cold chain facilities at centres which did not have sufficient facilities. Refrigerated vans were procured and given to Government to transport vaccines to various districts and centres which were waiting to receive supplies. People who were isolated and even families which were facing difficulty in procuring food, were given cooked food by Rotary members and also help was given to procure rations. Call centres were established and manned by Rotary members and their families to receive calls from anyone who wanted help and information about hospitalization and urgent medical attention. Rotaractors also joined in this mission and 24×7 assistance was provided to over 2,000 people who called every day. It is easy to look back on how Rotarians volunteered their service without fearing for their own lives, but it is not easy to understand what dedication these people had within themselves because their motto was Service Above Self. Our efforts, like in the Polio eradication programme, was destined for success and each one of the 160,000 Rotarians in India in over 4,300 Rotary clubs went beyond their comfort zone in assuring the public that Rotary Cares. Rotary is celebrating its 117th year of existence this February 2022. This was possible only because Rotarians believed in what their movement could be and that together they can create change. I see the same spirit in the faces of Rotary members everywhere and they take upon themselves to safeguard their communities. They are the reason why the Government of India put it faith in Rotary to take the vaccination drive on a fast path and save more people from Covid. With the cases now coming down, we have not let our guard down or slowed down our efforts. We are inspiring, connecting and training more volunteers who are coming to Rotary and when Covid is eradicated we will be proud to tell the story.



Dear Rotary Leaders

World’s Biggest Issue

With the cases of Covid increasing, the virus has again become the biggest issue today all over the world and more importantly in India where the daily cases have topped the 110000 mark in eight days. The last time such a large surge was seen in India was in June 2021 and then the virus started to wane. Offices and schools are again being shut and work from home is again the norm. More restrictions and lockdowns are being announced by States including night curfews.

The virus is set to invade countries once again and at stake is the future of the people whose livelihood can be threatened. I request the Rotary clubs to be more united and clearer about the role they should play now to stop the virus from spreading. 

With another wave of COVID-19 engulfing the world, many are asking themselves, “Is there really nothing else I can do to reduce the impact of Covid on my body?” By now, we’re all very well aware of the hygienic and social-distancing practices that can lessen our risk of getting the dreaded disease, and medical interventions like vaccines and an antiviral treatment both play a massive role of their own. 

Rotary clubs must promote recommended breathing techniques and other safeguards outlined by experts to their members and to the community through virtual meetings and using social media in more informed manner. The clubs should immediately postpone all social gatherings and conferences they have planned for this year. The cancellation of the International Assembly by Rotary International and converting it to a virtual session shows how strongly the Rotary leaders want the local clubs to emulate their example.

Rotary clubs must promote the sense of well-being and hope. We know that hope is a state of the mind and this must give every member the responsibility to work for the eradication of Covid. We cannot afford to have a population that is in the grip of a fear about this virus. Constant appeals over the social media can make your messages go viral and I have seen a Rotary member posting messages frequently in Facebook which has attracted the attention of many people. 

There is a separation in our minds between the natural world and the human world. Some may call it culture, while others may just think of it as a dividing line between what is human and what is not. For others, nature is part of humanity. Their souls yearn for the touch of nature, and cannot abide being away from it for too long. Today, scientists and other experts in the field of medicines are asking people to be in touch with nature more and more to strengthen their body and mind. Let us promote hygienic standards and stop the virus.

Wish you all a very Happy , Healthy and Peaceful year 2022 …



Dear Rotary Leaders

As we come to the end of 2021, we were considering when things might get back to normal after the pandemic. The new variant, Omicron, has made us believe that this era of unpredictability is not going away soon. One important source of uncertainty is the news that the new variant is advancing around the world at an astonishing rate. I read that in the U.K. they have estimated that a staggering two lakh people have been infected with the Omicron variant and that the cases are rising  at a faster pace compared to the Alpha and Delta waves. The age group getting affected is also between 18 years to 60 years.

It is now over four weeks since the Omicron variant has taken the headlines in all the media and scientists say that that this variant has the ability to mutating and binding better to the receptor. This virus is also able to rei-infect previously infected individuals and also vaccinated people. Reports say that in India there are 213 cases of Omicron reported so far.

Omicron cases are increasingly being reported from countries outside of South Africa and given its characteristics, it is likely to spread to more countries including India. However, the scale and magnitude of rise in cases and most importantly the severity of disease that will be caused is still not clear. Further, given the fast pace of vaccination in India and high exposure to delta variant as evidenced by high seropositivity, the severity of the disease is anticipated to be low. However, scientific evidence is still evolving.

While, there is no evidence to suggest that existing vaccines do not work on
Omicron, some of the mutations reported on Spike gene may decrease the
efficacy of existing vaccines. However, vaccine protection is also by antibodies as well as by cellular immunity, which is expected to be relatively better preserved. Hence vaccines are expected to still offer protection against severe disease and, vaccination with the available vaccines is crucial. If eligible, but not vaccinated, one should get vaccinated.

Indian government is monitoring the situation closely and is issuing suitable
guidelines from time to time. Meanwhile, the scientific and medical community
is geared up for developing and deploying diagnostics, carrying out genomic
surveillance, generating evidence about viral and epidemiologic characteristics, and development of therapeutics.

As I look back on this year which is coming to an end, I am inspired by the resilience shown by the Rotary members in fighting the pandemic. It’s all of you. It’s all the people who are showing us a better way forward, dedicated, thoughtful, inclusive leaders who are eager to serve their communities and remake the world. So, I am again requesting you to commit today to stop the pandemic and make this world safer. Safer India is possible, but it starts with you.Wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New year 2022…



Dear Rotary Leaders

I am not a killjoy or a pessimist. But the recent news flashing in India makes me write this appeal to you. The new variant Omicron of Covid is detected in India from those who came from abroad. This has made the Government appeal to the citizens to take extra caution in the coming days and avoid situations that can be conducive for this variant to spread. 

The other news is the unending misery caused by rains in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States. Reports from Chennai shown in the TV and printed in the national media show that people are displaced and waiting for help for food and medicine.

The vaccination drive has to be stepped up more vigorously in flood-hit areas and in other places now. Something as simple as visiting the flood-hit areas and checking if the people need vaccination could make a major difference. As Rotary leaders you have a dual responsibility – building a better future and most importantly safeguarding our present. 

People everywhere are looking forward to a new year full of promise and opportunity. Your words and actions now should inspire people to have hope and that means you should be sensitive to what is happening around you. Rotarians are seen as a group of diverse cohort persons passionate about fulfilling their mission to build a better tomorrow. 

Please remember, as Rotarians you are carrying hope with you wherever you go. Everyone in the community could use a little hope from you. I cannot thank you enough for how much you have supported in Rotary’s drive to eradicate Polio and now it is time to end Covid. I am grateful to have all of you with Rotary in this journey.



Dear Rotary Leaders

Since the beginning of 2020, everyone everywhere has been asking one question, “When will the Covid pandemic end?” India has now seen its lowest case load in a single day after nearly 9 months. In addition, we have also recorded the highest recovery rate since March 2020. The festive season has not added cases and except one State there has been no surge elsewhere. Even in this State, hospitalization has not increased. Has Covid entered an endemic phase in India? Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist in WHO in a televised programme said that the virus hasn’t gone anywhere and it is still out thee looking for people to infect. The unvaccinated people, especially the elderly, are susceptible to Covid 19 and its variants and hence she strongly advises everyone to get the two doses immediately. 

Today cases are going up in Western Europe because of relaxation in social measures and masks are not being used. The unvaccinated people are being hospitalized and those who are vaccinated are spared from severe Covid symptoms. This is what the vaccine are supposed to do. 

News reports in the papers on November 18, 2021 say that there is a fall in number of those taking first dose. In fact, strangely the number of Indians who have got two doses of vaccine exceeds those who have got only one dose! We were euphoric when ‘more’ people got vaccinated and India administered over 113.68 crore of doses when this week began. Out of these 75 crores  were administered as first dose 38 crore as second dose. This means that number of people who got the second dose is more than those who got their first dose. The number of people taking their first dose has fallen to 69 lakhs and the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ (Knock on every door) campaign is lagging behind.

India has to administer close to 10 crore doses a week if we have to inoculate all adults (over 94 crores) by the year end. The Government has been able to achieve about 6 crores a week in September and now we have to step up our advocacy efforts to support the Government and prevent any new wave from taking over the country. 

I appeal to all the District leaders , Zonal Co-ordinators and Rotary clubs to now double up their efforts and make sure that no eligible person is left out from getting the vaccines. I would like to emphasise that Rotary’s help was sought by the Government because we promised to deliver the results by this year end. There can be many reasons why clubs are not conducting vaccination camps now in their area. There cannot be reasons why we were not able to save lives. We have to do whatever it takes to remove vaccine hesitancy seen in people and make them realise that vaccine is only going to save them and not harm them. 

More vaccination because of our advocacy and not less must be our goal in the coming days since we have to do this for our country. Make it happen.



Dear Rotary Leaders

Better Be Safe Than Sorry

I can see people bursting with energy once again, bursting firecrackers, packing their suitcases for travel within India and overseas, shopping like there was no tomorrow and generally trying to shake off the lockdown mood which has been inside them for over a year. But friends, Covid is still not gone and we have to take sufficient safeguards now if we have to welcome the new year 2022 as a year when we can truly be carefree to a large extent.

Rotary India Covid Task Force has managed to create a strong pan-India network that will constantly help to sound the alarm bells when needed, help in the vaccination drive of the Government and ramp up advocacy whenever and wherever required. This task force aims to help to protect the country for future generations, like how the INPPC did while working to eradicate Polio.

We always know that vaccination only was not enough to eradicate Covid totally and people have to take all safety measures such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and observing hygiene at all times. The awareness created by Rotarians all over the country has made the rapid progress the country has achieved possible. But if we let our guard down now and some new variant comes as a wave, we can easily be made to feel powerless. 

That is why Rotary India Covid Task Force is committed to inspiring Rotarians, empowering them and training them to work for the eradication of Covid. We consider Rotarians as on the frontlines of this fight against Covid. The cases seem to be coming down in many States but that is no reason to be complacent especially when some countries are reporting a spike in the cases. Our task is to make the Rotarians do the right things in the community before it is too late. 

What gives me hope is passion and the will of the grassroots members in organizing vaccination camps and pushing the people in the community to take sufficient care now and not regret later.

Festivals will come every month, year after year. But we have to be well in body and mind to celebrate them every year. Make sure that your families set an example to the neighbours about how to follow the Covid protocols rigidly for the next 6 months at least. We have no time to lose. 

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable festive season.



Dear Rotary Leaders

Hear the Minds you Follow

Lend an ear to your leaders in Rotary and in the Government. It is time to strengthen the new normal way of life till Covid is eradicated from the world. Set yourself a target and step out to fight vaccine hesitancy in any part of the country.

I was happy to read in some foreign print media that India has done a commendable job in vaccination. This praise is given to all the agencies involved in the vaccination drive and we in Rotary can take pride in taking the lead when other voluntary agencies were still working out the methodology. This is largely due to the commitment of our members and the network we have because of the End Polio Campaign. But we cannot be complacent now since the Government of India has announced that more than 12 crore beneficiaries are due for their second dose as of now. It is not sufficient to say that 79% of the adult population has received the first dose of the vaccine. Only 38% of the eligible population has got the second dose according to the statistics given by the Government. 

The vaccination pace has slowed down this month due to festive season and to vaccinate all adults by the end of this year, 15.1 million doses need to be administered daily on average in the remaining days. Like we say in cricked, the run rate has gone up because of some dot balls. I was astonished to read in the newspaper today that a well-known cricketeer in South India who also played in the IPL has refused to take the vaccination or even adhere to certain Covid protocols. This type of vaccine hesitancy behavior is not healthy and only your personal intervention with such persons may produce the desired result.

Rotarians must do what truly matters to humanity and community development. There is a loftier ambition than merely hearing the minds you follow. You have to stoop down and lift humankind a little higher now because this is the time the Covid cases are showing a decline and it is now or never.

From the time of its formation, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force has been bringing together leaders such as yourself to take on the biggest challenge the world is facing now because of Covid. This is a kind of programme where we cannot afford to let down our guard even for a day and the leaders worldwide are waiting to see what you are coming up with together in India and how you will help to end Covid now. I am honoured to be in your team and I am being inspired to tell the world that Rotarians in India have again demonstrated that they can meet any situation that threatens the wellbeing of the community.

Ashok MahajanChairman,

Rotary India’s Covid Task Force Member,

TRF Covid Task Force 



Dear Rotary Leaders

India crossed the 100 crore Covid 19 vaccine doses mark on Thursday, October 21, 2021. It took 19 days from 900 million doses to reach the one billion doses mark. “The vaccine has brought us pride and protection in the lives of our citizens, “ said the Prime Minister of India when he appreciated all those who were associated with the vaccination programme and helping the Government to cross the milestone. UNICEF’s India Representative Ms.Y.M. Haque said, “this milestone means hope.”

This extraordinary feat, as described by WHO, South-East Asia Office, brings to the forefront how many agencies and individuals rose to the occasion. Rotary takes pride in associating itself with the Government in this massive task and I am happy to report that nearly all the districts have organised many camps in their area to assist the Government.

This feat has been accomplished amidst various challenges within 10 months in a country as vast and diverse as India. The advocacy work taken up by Rotary to assist the Government proved that our organisation had a strong and dedicated leadership and the Rotarians themselves at the grassroots level have able to integrate various agencies in organizing camps.

Till October 20, 2021, only 31% of the country’s adult population has been fully vaccinated. About 75% of the population has received at least one dose. In 10 States fewer than 30% of the adults have been vaccinated. The list of these states is available in the media and I strongly urge the RI District Governors in these States to work with the local Government and organise more camps and ramp up the advocacy programme in every town and village in these States. It is now estimated that about 12.2 million doses must be administered on an average daily from now if all the adults have to be vaccinated before December 31, 2021.

We must be thankful to the manufacturers of vaccine in India for being prepared to produce a vaccine from the time Covid 19 started to wreak havoc in early 2020. If you read the statement of the Government released in the press today (October 22, 2021) the logistics will make your head spin. From the vaccine manufacturing plants in Pune and Hyderabad, the vial is sent to a hub in all the States and from here it is transported to the districthubs to be distributed to the vaccination centres in every village! Trains and flights are being used to transport large quantities of vaccine and over one lakh cold chain equipment is being used for this purpose. 

I am stating these obvious facts to emphasise the magnitude of the job and how bottlenecks were cleared in a jiffy to reach vaccines where they were needed. Rotary clubs must now finish the job and ensure that every citizen gets the jab. It is now not tomorrow.

Ashok Mahajan

Chairman, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force 

Member, T R F Covid Task Force 

THE ONE BILLION MILESTONE

On 19th Oct.2021, the Hon. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare ,  Dr.Bharti Pawar officiated as Chief Guest at the Rotary Heroes Awards function organised by RI Dist.3141 at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai. Speaking at the event, the Hon. Minister applauded the work executed in the health care sector by Rotary, emphasizing that under the anti-coronavirus campaign, till now about 100 crore people have been vaccinated across the country, out of which the credit for over 30 lakh vaccinations goes to Rotary alone and the massive feat was possible for us only with its vital support.

While I had the privilege of receiving the Rotary Heroes Award at the hands of the Hon. Minister, the honour truly goes to Rotary, every Rotary Club and every Rotarian who stepped up during the pandemic and rose to the challenge of fighting Covid. I salute every Rotarian for the whole hearted support in our fight against Covid Pandemic and help the Government in its endeavor to get rid of Corona virus. The sincerity, commitment, dedication and generosity exhibited by Rotarians towards this cause is much appreciable.

During the last 18 months, Rotarians have demonstrated their capacity to assist their community in every conceivable manner. They have organised free vaccinations for lakhs of Indians, collaborated with local governments to build and augment medical facilities, provided logistical support for transport of vaccines and provided Oxygen concentrators for hospitals all over the country. In Erode, Tamil Nadu, Rotary clubs built an entire Covid Hospital in record time.

India has crossed the milestone of 1 billion doses of the Covid vaccine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally witnessed the administration of the 1 billionth dose by Nurse S.Christine in New Delhi. For a nation of almost 1.4 billion people, ravaged by poverty and systemic deficiencies, it is a colossal achievement, by any standard.

In his op-ed piece ( 5 steps to 1 billion doses) in India’s leading daily newspaper, The Times of Inda, Bill Gates writes:

“Over and over again, I have been impressed by India’s ability to address extremely difficult health challenges at the scale of a sub-continent of almost 1.4 billion people. Now, India has achieved another milestone.”

He concludes with the words: “India makes me hopeful because it shows how countries can, with strong leadership and consistent investments in health systems and R&D, protect the health of their people.  There is no way to take back the suffering of the past 18 months, but we can make sure the next 18 months are much, much different.”

Bill and Melinda Gates are committed partners of Rotary and we are privileged to receive their consistent support. In turn, it is our duty to ensure that their faith in Rotary endures.

When history asks, “Where were you when the Covid pandemic struck?”, Rotary can rightfully say,” We were there in the thick of the crisis, we made a difference.”

As always, I am truly proud to be a Rotarian.

Ashok Mahajan Chairman, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force Member, T R F Covid Task Force 

• 

• 

Dear Rotary Leaders

> 
> Dear Rotary Leaders ,
> Happy that we the Rotary Clubs in India are actively involved in Covid Vaccination program in the country. Let’s promote and support it to the best of our ability and help the Government in its endeavor to fight against Covid Pandemic. Always remember working together makes a big difference.
>
> Ashok Mahajan
> Chairman, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force
> Member, TRF Covid Task Force

Dear Rotary Leaders

900 million and Counting

India’s Covid Vaccine coverage crossed the 90-crore landmark on

October 2, 2021. The coverage of country’s adult population increased to 70% of the estimated adult population of 94 crore with at least one dose. Till now about 26% of the adult population has received both the doses.

It is aim of the Government of India to increase the ‘first-dose coverage’ of the adult population to at least 90% by the end of October 2021. Vaccination of children in the age group of 12 to 17 years in a phased manner is expected to start this month. The roll out of one more new vaccine, ZyCoV-D, is expected soon and the estimated availability of all the three vaccines, Covishield, Covaxin and ZyCoV-D will be above 30 crores from October 2021.

Unvaccinated people are exposed to the virulent Delta Strain which is seen in 187 out of the 194 WHO member countries. It is distressing to read the Reuters tally which says that the 5 million people have died worldwide due to Covid and that last week alone over 8,000 Covid deaths have been reported across the globe.

Many countries are still battling vaccine misinformation and people are avoiding inoculations for various imaginary reasons. Rotary clubs must take the message that India was one of the first countries which faced the Delta variant which resulted in 4,000 deaths a day. This has been drastically reduced when the vaccination programme and advocacy was stepped by in the society by Rotarians. It is expected that industrial and business enterprises will insist on their staff getting vaccinated if they want to retain their jobs. Rotarians who run businesses must insist that their staff get vaccinated. I am again appealing to the all the Zonal Co-ordinators and District Governors to monitor if all the Rotarians in their district and zones have been vaccinated. This is a must since they are expected to promote vaccination, go out talk to people who have any number of questions about the vaccines and ensure that the community is safe and we do not have any more ‘waves’. Vaccination is just a technology for wellbeing. Tell people that this proven technology will produce results irrespective of their beliefs or fear. People who are hesitant to get the jab must be taught to accept the approval of others when it comes to a life-saving vaccine technology.

Activists for good causes often experience disapproval, scorn and rejection of ideas. Rotarians must be willing to accept the over-reactions of people who are not willing to get vaccinated, meaning that we should not see their hesitancy as a reason to give up talking again and again to them. Eventually they will respect your single mindedness and even join you to get others to be vaccinated. This shows how important Rotarians can be, a beacon to the world. We did it for Polio eradication. We must do it to eradicate Covid now.

Ashok Mahajan

Dear Rotary Leaders ,

The Rotary Foundation has asked me to serve on its COVID Task Force. My co committee members represent all the regions of the world. My own region covers India and Zone 1B, 10B and 10C (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan ,Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar , Thailand ,Vietnam , Brunei , Malaysia and Singapore) 

As part of my responsibility its my duty to appoint a Coordinator from each zone.  Accordingly, I have pleasure in informing you that I have appointed the following members from India as the Zone Coordinators for the TRF Covid task Force Sub Committee.. Their task  is  mainly information gathering  and reporting to the International Committee through me.

They are expected to gather information on the trends of Covid cases in their designated area, the number of breakthrough cases (those being infected inspite of being fully vaccinated) the adults and children coun, travel restrictions,  vaccine availability, development  of relationships with other organizations etc. 

The following have been appointed. 

 The Rotary Foundation Global Task Force Sub committee for India 

PDG Dr Mohan Chandavarkar — Zone 4 

Rtn PP Dr Vasudha Rajasekar — Zone 5 

PDG Madhu Rughwani —  Zone 6 

PDG Dr Rajeev Pradhan — Zone 7 

Its important that you understand that the above committee is independent of the Rotary India’s Covid Task Force. As an explanation a few lines in clarification may be in order,  as you may wonder whether there is some duplication. There is not.

Rotary India National Committee

This committee was formed specifically to work with Districts and clubs.I          also play the role of Chair in Rotary India’s  National Committee. The others are :

PDG Deepak Kapur and PDG Rajan Dhingra are the  Vice chairmen. 

RI P Shekhar Mehta – Mentor

PRIP Raja Saboo – Adviser

PRIP Kalyan Banerjee – Adviser

13 Zonal Coordinators. 

& 7 Members Advisory committee.

The National Task Force will continue to function with the main aim of promoting and assisting Rotary’s involvement in vaccinations, Covid 19 disease preparation (support to hospitals), creating awareness of Covid safe behavior,  and vaccine advocacy. 

They are ones who will be in touch with the Districts. 

Please also remember that the RI Board has asked every District to appoint a District COVID Chairman. If you have not done so kindly do so now and encourage them to be in touch with the Zone Coordinators.

Remember working together makes a big difference. Let’s work together to fight against Covid 19 to ensure that we all can walk free from this disease, forever . 

Ashok Mahajan 

Chairman, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force ,

Member, TRF COVID Task Force 

Dear Rasheeda,

As desired please find herewith my Response for Rotary News Trust . 1. What is the main focus of the india covid task force you chair? 

When the Government of India was preparing to roll out the Covid Vaccine, Rotary’s leadership in India took the first step and offered its hand of partnership for the Covid Vaccination. I was then invited to take charge as Chairman, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force. Further to meetings with officials from the Union Health Ministry and the Niti Aayog, the Task Force, the following focus areas were identified:

1) Create awareness of the Covid Vaccine 2) Social mobilisation 3) Overcome pockets of public resistance caused by misinformation 4) Provide logistical support where required.2. What role has Indian Rotarians played in Covid vaccination. An estimate of numbers?

Rotary Clubs all over India have played a huge role in the Covid vaccination drive. They started out by organizing rallies and online seminars to promote vaccination. They have also made great use of social media to promote vaccination. Once the drive started, Rotary clubs have helped providing cold chain, transport for the vaccine, have organized vaccination camps across the country. By my estimates, close to 2 million Indians have been vaccinated at camps organized by Rotary Clubs. Besides this, Rotarians have also helped augment Covid Hospital capacity and provided oxygen concentrators to various hospitals. Installed Oxygen plants , provided medicines to needy , managed Call Centres to provide information about the availability of beds , oxygen Concentrators, medicines , food and things like that . 3. What are the main challenges that India faces in getting its population vaccinated given our huge population? What more can Rotary do to help?

The first hurdle was getting sufficient supplies of the vaccine. The sheer number of people needing the vaccine is quite overwhelming. After all, ours is a huge population which is also densely concentrated in the cities. With more than 50 % of the population having got at least 1 jab of the vaccine, and lockdown being phased out, the challenge lies in ensuring that people do not let their guard down. Maintaining sufficient physical distancing , avoiding physical meetings and get together and use of face masks and sanitizers must continue.

Rotary clubs must also help the state governments in ensuring that people in rural areas get their vaccinations at the earliest.4. You played a huge role in Rotary’s efforts in helping to eradicate polio from India. Any similarities or differences in the Covid vaccination drive?

The Polio vaccination had encountered resistance from certain pockets of the Muslim community. We overcame that by enlisting the support of the religious leaders who convinced their flock to accept the vaccination. This was a tipping point in the Polio Eradication drive which finally led to India being declared Polio-free. 

This time around, the Ulema Committee of which I still being Chairman was brought on board very early to ensure that Covid vaccination did not meet any resistance from the Muslim community.

The Polio vaccine was being vaccinated to children below the age of 5. The Covid vaccine needs to be administered to every Indian. That is a staggering figure to achieve and the Government has done a tremendous job so far.

We have some way to go before we can breathe easy again. However, Rotary’s experience in Polio vaccination gives us the confidence that India will walk free from Covid, very soon.

It will not be out of place here to mention that the entire Covid Task Force is dedicated to the cause and is fully supported by our senior Rotary  leaders . The District leadership is doing tremendous work through the Rotary Clubs in assisting the local Government to get rid of this dreadful diesis and God willing soon we will succeed in making india Covid Free . 

Dear Rotary Leaders,

No other topic has occupied our mind space like the fear of Covid and the need to get vaccinated. However, even those who fear Covid in India have been lukewarm in their response when it comes to getting vaccinated.

The figures released by the Ministry of Health says that over 72.1 crore doses of vaccines have been administered so far and 17 crore people have been fully vaccinated. Only 12.5%  of those who are eligible have been fully vaccinated and only 18% of the adults have been vaccinated in India as per the information uploaded in the websites. Worldwide about 29% of the population have been vaccinated fully and an estimated 564 crore doses have been given till now.

Various types of doubts have been expressed by those who have not taken the jab and nearly all these doubts stem from misinformation and the lack of will to find out the facts. For example, today when we are concentrating on the health of the mother and girl children, people have expressed concerns about the vaccines affecting the menstrual cycle in girls. It has been clarified that vaccines have no correlation with such cycles and this is what Rotary’s advocacy policy should focus on. Anns can play a vital role in this task. They should speak to women to get vaccinated and also advise them to bring their girl children, who are above 18 years, to the camps.

I  must compliment Rotary Districts 3060, 3141, 3142 , 3201 ,3131 , 3250 and other districts who have shown considerable enthusiasm in organizing vaccination camps with the help of the local government and support from various corporates . It is the request of the Rotary India’s Covid Task Force and Rotary International that every Rotary District Governor should present a status report on how the clubs in their district have fared in this project. Nothing is more important than saving lives and putting our country back on the path of growth. 

Advocacy is akin to teaching. It is not a professional service; it must be a passion. Only then education can move from imposition of facts to exploration of truth. Conflict about the need for vaccination is about one man’s belief versus another man’s belief. People use their mind as memory banks and the past beliefs keep repeating. Our job is to change the mind to be attentive and they will know everything that is worth knowing about vaccination and how they can save themselves and others in the community.Let’s us put our best to support the Government in its fight against Covid Pandemic and make india Covid free . I know we can do and I am sure we all will join hands to do it . 

Dear Mr Homero Hernandez,

The Rotary India COVID Task Force is pleased to learn from Dr. Carol Pandak that GAVI may be interested in a partnership with Rotary to take forward its initiative of immunizing the citizens of India against the COVID 19 virus that has brought the entire world to its knees.The Niti Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission in India) has expressed its desire that Rotary may take the lead in immunizing all the Teachers in India that have hitherto been left out against the virus. We have also been advised to take up any othe section of the society like all the truck drivers auto rickshaw operators. The cost of the vaccines required for such endeavor would be huge and a big amount would be required for the delivery of the vaccine.Rotary would be prepared to raise the funds required for the delivery of the vaccine to the beneficiaries, if GAVI would consider donating / financing the purchase of the vaccine required for the purpose.Needless to say, immunizing all Teachers in the country would be an essential prerequisite paving the way for the opening of all Educational Institutions in the country. Education, sadly, is one of the most important services to have been impacted by the lockdowns that have necessarily followed in the wake of the deadly waves of the Virus that have hit the country.We look forward to hearing from you.

Dear Rotary Leaders
Mission Impossible?
That’s what many people thought when Rotary entered into a partnership with the Government to ramp up the vaccination drive against Covid. The hubris among the Doubting Thomases was laid bare when District Governors in India engaged the clubs in the vaccination programme. The pace picked up and the average rate of daily Covid vaccinations increased in several major States. Till August 22, 2021, as per the news reported in national newspapers, 13.7% of the country’s adult population was fully vaccinated, while 47.8% had received at least one dose. It is estimated that to vaccinate all adults by December 31, 2021, 9.8 million doses need to be administered daily on average from now on. The Ministry of Health has published that 58.26 crores of people have been vaccinated as on August 23, 2021, but reports have appeared that 3.9 crore people, who must have taken the second shot, have not yet taken the jab. 
The Covid numbers may be coming down in many States, but a lag in vaccination helps nobody’s cause. People are vulnerable and Rotary clubs must be proactive in arranging vaccination so that people retain their protective cover. Tamil Nadu Government has launched a 24×7 vaccination facility in all Government hospitals. Similar programmes can be implemented in other States and Rotarians can request the Governments to permit such facilities in all hospitals. “I do not have time” should not be an excuse for people now.
You can always tell a lazy person by his mendacity and desire to procrastinate. The temptation will be to wait and watch until the virus stops spreading, but this is not going to happen any time soon and the only way to stay alive and healthy is to get vaccinated. 
I must also caution Rotarians not to let the guard down on Polio vaccination since refugees and others are returning from Afghanistan which is a polio endemic country. 
The great strength of Rotary, which is a liberal democracy, is its capacity for course-correction. Institutional scrutiny and oversight of the public welfare programmes of the Government will ensure the progress of Rotary as the most sought-after service organisation in the country. This means that the clubs must be strong with committed members and are not hollowed from within. 
District Leaders must not alter any data to present the best picture possible to the clubs, but ensure that the club leaders are well trained. Do not declare premature victory over the pandemic. To be ambitious is a national good, but to be blinkered is dangerous. Looking facts in the face and working out strategies with the Government in promoting the vaccination drive is our mission. This mission will not and should not go unaccomplished.

Dear friends in Rotary,

Rotary Clubs in Trichur  (RI Dist. 3201) have achieved the commendable feat of vaccinating 4006 people in 26 hours! This Marathon Free Vaccination Drive, organised by Rotarians in collaboration with local authorities commenced at 2 pm on 14^th August and concluded at 4 pm on 15^th August, 2021. Independence Day meant Freedom from Covid for these 4006 Indians.

RI DIST. 3142 has also organised many vaccination camps in Thane, Navi Mumbai and adjacent towns.I congratulate all Rotarians in 3201 and 3142 for the excellent work they have done. 
I am aware that most of the Rotary districts are actively involved in vaccination drives. However, I urge all Rotary districts and Rotary Clubs to step up their efforts. With lockdowns being phased out and more people coming out for work and social gatherings, it is imperative that the spread of the Corona virus be contained.  We need to approach local authorities, offer our assistance in vaccination, social mobilization and advocacy. 

Complete vaccination of all Indians is the need of the hour! Let us not let our guard down at this important juncture in the battle against Covid-19. Yours in Rotary,

The COVID Task Force for India would be extremely interested in collaborating with Government of India. We would be grateful if you would facilitate a connection. 

Thank you for your mail and your kind comments about my being named to the International COVID Task Force. I look forward to working with you on this challenging task.

For your information, PRIP Raja Saboo, Deepak Kapur and myself are regular invitees to the Regional meetings of the WHO which are convened to discuss the strategies for combating COVID in the region and always have a Government of India representative to talk about COVAX and other issues.

Deepak and I have recently been in touch with NITI Aayog (which has replaced the erstwhile Indian Planning Commission) and they have expressed a lot of interest in joining hands with Rotary to promote COVID immunization in India. Of course, the bureaucratic wheels grind slowly, and this may take some time to materialize.

The NITI Aayog is mindful of the following facts that we brought to their attention :

There is a massive role that humanitarian organizations play in improving the vaccination coverage. In the past, organizations such as Rotary, together with WHO and UNICEF have played a stellar role in polio elimination across South East Asia region. Central and state governments must consider leveraging those capabilities and infrastructure created over decades to improve vaccination coverage in difficult-to-reach areas.  

Currently, Rotary clubs in states like Tamil Nadu , Kerala , Haryana, Gujarat, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur are helping local authorities in setting up centres for immunization, thereby providing preventive care. The other aspect is the providing palliative care for those who have suffered or are suffering from COVID-19, by setting up oxygen plants, oxygen concentrator banks and arranging for pro-bono doctors to offer free-of-cost consultation.

Given the success of Rotary and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI’s) polio program to date, incidences of polio have plummeted by more than 99.9 percent globally, and only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain endemic. Rotary has been able to draw insights from these efforts and apply them to improving public health at large. In fact, Rotary is already transitioning its extensive polio eradication knowledge and assets in India to support the government of India’s public health goals, such as measles and rubella elimination, and now, to support the ongoing fight against COVID-19. 

Among many assets, we are leveraging the information, education, and communication framework from India’s fight against polio, which dictates that information must be consistent, simple, and delivered on a continual basis in multiple languages, to educate citizens on ways to prevent COVID-19. This can be applied, especially in the context of getting more people from rural areas registered on “Co-Win” (India’s digital platform for registering for vaccination) as well as countering vaccine hesitancy. People in the rural areas need to be guided on how they can register themselves on the Co-WIN platform and educated on vaccine safety and efficacy.  

Even as the government’s vaccination guidelines have been formed keeping in mind beneficiaries from all kinds of background, this issue of access disparity has been prominent for a while now. There are provisions of walk-ins and on-site registration along with app registration for those who might not have access to digital device or are unable to register themselves on the Co-Win platform. The Government along with civil society players such as Rotary are also helping to bridge this gap and provide access to all. The responsibility also lies on the privileged section who has a huge role to play in helping the ones in last mile and mitigating this issue of digital divide. So far, the rural vaccination coverage has been promising and continuous effort is being made to fuel country’s aggressive vaccination drive against COVID-19. 

India’s challenges in accelerating its immunization drive are considerable. The major challenge being the huge population and along with it, the economic repercussions of the disease itself.

The consequent lockdowns and the impact they have caused must be factored in. Operational issues such as crowd management can pose significant challenges for the care providers administering the vaccine. Besides, educating all beneficiaries regarding the efficacy and safety of the vaccines is also critical.  

Dear District Governor

Join the Mission, Speed up Vaccination

An unprecedented combination of political will, collaboration from Rotary and inflow of funds from philanthropists has enabled the vaccination programme against Covid in India to reach the 38-crore (380 million) mark till now. However, only in few States over 2 crore people have been vaccinated and lot more work is to be done by every one of us in eradicating Covid from India. 

A report which has been published in one of the national newspapers today shows that the vaccination rate has slowed down in July 2021 compared to earlier month and only about eight percent of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated.

RI has also formed an International Committee for Covid Task Force and it is clear that during the next few years the fight against Covid will take the centre stage in our activities. 

It has been decided by the Rotary India’s Covid Task Force that at the end of this Rotary year in 2022, three Rotary District Governors in India, who have played a major role by promoting the vaccination drive and motivating the clubs to implement relevant projects including creating Covid-related healthcare infrastructure, will be selected and suitably recognised.

We had requested you to nominate one Rotarian as the District Co-ordinator for the Covid eradication programme in your district. Three District Co-ordinators from all over India, who have done exemplary work in promoting vaccination and other related projects, will be selected and recognised at the end of the Rotary year 2022. Please send me the name and email address of the District Co-ordinator of your district before July 21st  2021.

Kindly form a District Covid Vaccination Promotion Committee with dynamic Rotarians and appoint one person as the Chairman. Three Chairman of the Vaccination Committee from all over India will be selected based on their achievements at the end of the Rotary year in 2022 and recognised. Please send me the name and email address of the Chairman of the newly formed Covid Vaccination Promotion Committee to me before July 21st  2021.

In addition, three Rotary clubs which have promoted vaccination in a big way and also implemented Covid related healthcare projects, will be selected and recognised at the end of the Rotary year 2022. Spread this message to all the clubs in your district and this is our time to prevent any more waves of Covid. 

Dear Rotary Leaders, 

Add Firepower to Vaccination Drive

Vaccination against Covid 19 hit a record pace in June 2021 and reached a peak of 6.44 million on June 26, 2021. We can say that in nearly all States in India, the advocacy for the vaccination programme provided by Rotary Clubs played a significant role in achieving the higher rates of immunisation. The States of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra showed considerable increase in vaccination. But only 6.3% of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated and over 29% have received at least one dose as of June 30, 2021. To vaccinate all adults by December 31, 2021 it is estimated that 8.4 million doses must be administered daily on an average from today.

I compliment the Rotary Clubs for taking the task of organizing camps for vaccination with enthusiasm and helping the Government to fight this pandemic. It is clear that only vaccination can help to fight Covid 19 immediately and reduce the number of cases all over the country. The areas which are relaxing lockdown regulations are reporting good vaccination coverage and so Rotarians should double their efforts now to prevent any other wave that is threatening us. I read that in a State in South India, tribal people climbed trees to avoid being vaccinated when the health workers reached their village in the forests! I am sure that they will have to come down sometime soon, but the point is that we have to find out why this vaccine hesitancy is still prevalent among people. It is in such cases that Rotary Clubs should put extra efforts, mobilse the opinion leaders of such communities and talk to them about the benefits of being vaccinated. Like in Polio eradication, I would like to draw a parallel that no one is safe until Covid is eradicated from our country. 

Dear Rotary Leaders Of Tomorrow

Fast Forward

The years that went by…Oh! We all have felt that time must fly and better days must come soon. We spent a major part of the last two years without seeing our friends and relatives. Some of them have left us and we must live with only memories of our friendship. As a new Rotary year is about to dawn on July 1, we know this: Rotary – If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.

Did we all feel weak fighting this Covid 19 virus? Probably initially. But we challenged ourselves. We knew that weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.  Rotarians did not buckle down but did splendid service saving human lives. Bringing in oxygen concentrators, oxygen plants, beds, hospital equipment, medicines from abroad and organizing vaccination camps were some of the rapid actions taken by Rotary Clubs in India. The Governments of various States took our help to promote vaccination and remove hesitancy among the people. These are great achievements by any standards when you consider that Rotarians risked their lives and became ‘front-line volunteers’ to help the community.

As you get ready to lead Rotary in your District during 2021-2022, please remember that what keeps Rotary alive is the awareness amongst the existing members that we can do good and we are doing good. Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. We have shown that nothing can stop us when we stand united.

Rotary is all about genuinely reaching out to people all over the world. Service is linked to enlightenment. It is like the blossoming of a flower. Enlightenment can happen quickly and the when people realise that the purpose of existence is to serve, they will stay in Rotary and strengthen the movement. Rotarians must also know that being in Rotary is not just about how much they serve, but how much love they put into serving. Rotary and The Rotary Foundation are not destinations, but doorways to reach and serve the entire humanity.

I believe that if we consciously hold on to the programmes of The Rotary Foundation and the areas of focus, it can alter the way Rotarians and other donors think, feel and experience life. This will develop Rotary in your area to be favoured organisation when people in the community want to donate or look for support during times like these. Focus on the process of achieving the goals set by our RI President for the year 2021-2022 and the results will follow. Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, “It will be happier.”

The ultimate measure of a Rotarian leader such as yourself, is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge. You are here to serve and to change lives. As I said earlier, “If Rotary doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”

Lockdown, loss of jobs and life, and unimaginable turmoil – it has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic struck us and the losses just keep on mounting. This has been one of the darkest phases that mankind has faced in decades, at a global level. While the long night continues to rage on, COVID warriors who relentlessly continue to fight are the ushers of a new dawn, offering a ray of hope in some of the darkest moments.

Ever since the pandemic hit last year, tapping into decades of experience in bringing polio to the brink of eradication, Rotary members worldwide have been helping health authorities communicate lifesaving information about COVID-19 and vaccination, combatting misinformation, supporting fair and equal access to vaccines, and curbing the spread of the virus by donating protective gear and other supplies to clinics and hospitals under strain.

In India, joining the medical fraternity, the government and other civil society partners in the fight against covid, are Rotary’s over 1.6 lakh volunteers across India who – with a resolution to offer Service above Self – have been standing tall, leading countless initiatives all over the country.

From offering cooked meals, dry rations, PPE kits, face masks, and other essential items to communities during the first wave, to assisting respective state governments in their vaccination drives, providing medical assistance during rising hospitalizations, equipment such as oxygen concentrators, setting up oxygen plants during the second wave– Rotary members spread across 4000 clubs in India have consistently participated in any and every activity to offer a helping hand to those in need in their communities across the country.
Currently, Rotary clubs continue to amplify their activities, responding to evolving challenges and issues with time, investing in diverse projects during the pandemic. Led by the Rotary India COVID Task Force, members continue to innovate basis the local community needs, and there still is no telling where the next indigenous idea crops up next for helping those in need.
For instance, in Nagpur city, when there was a dire need for urgent hospitalisation amidst countless cases, Rotary members from various clubs came together to set up a COVID control room and start a helpline that would be operational round the clock to share critical information on availability of beds and its allotment process to the public. It was indeed one of the best instances of Government-Rotary-Citizen partnership. Similarly, a war room was also setup in Bengaluru where 250 volunteers spent their time attending over 2000 calls per day.

And when the oxygen crisis raged across India, the Rotary Club of Pondicherry Midtown, stepped up to donate 42 Oxygen-beds and 2 Multi Para Monitors to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital.

Overall, nearly 1500 covid beds have been set up across India by Rotary Members till date.

At Haryana, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharastra , Assam, and West Bengal, and many other states free Covid-19 vaccination centres have been set up. Rotary Club of Madras is working with the Tamil Nadu government to help support procurement, cold chain storage and delivery of vaccines. Rotary Clubs in Delhi set up 10 oxygen plants, started Oxygen concentrator banks along with a dedicated helpline with nearly 30 members, for coordinating most emergent needs for the people of Delhi including medicines, hospital beds, oxygen.

When need for medical equipment was at its peak, Rotary joined hands with ACT Grants and Swasth Alliance, entering into an MoU with United Way Bengaluru to supply free-of-cost Covid care. This included 50,000 oxygen concentrators, 12,000 oxygen cylinders, 5,000 BIPAP (Ventilator like machines) (Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure), 100 PSA Plants (Prostrate -Specific Antigen) and 50,000 Pulse Oximeters.

In last one year, our mission to inspire, empower and connect people became a revolution that strengthened the world’s largest democracy’s fight against the deadly coronavirus. Initially, what seemed like a war too hard to be fought, eventually seemed defeatable with collective efforts of those willing to make a difference.

Dear Friends in Rotary,
COMPLACENCY CAN KILL US 
Rotary Club of Pondicherry Midtown has donated 42 Oxygenated-beds and 2 Multi Para Monitors to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital. This project was inaugurated by the Chief Minister and handed over to the Director of IGMC on 9th June, 2021.
This action by Rotarians will be of great assistance to the citizens of Pondicherry, during the pandemic and will also remain useful for many years to come. I congratulate and salute Rotarians of RC Pondicherry Midtown for coming to the forefront in the battle against Covid 19.
The latest news reports suggest that the 2nd wave of Covid is on the wane and various parts of the country are coming out of lockdown in a phased manner. This is a critical point which we must remember: 
Complacency and Carelessness can Kill us.
While millions of Indians have already been vaccinated, there are millions more who have not got their 1st jab yet. This includes many of our youth and children, who may be most vulnerable in the face of a 3rd wave of Covid. As in the case of Polio, 99 % Success could turn out to be 100 % Failure
We are approaching the start of a new Rotary Year. I urge the incoming District Governors to ensure that there is no let-up in our efforts to fight Covid. Please keep this battle on high priority and encourage all Rotary Clubs to extend support in every possible way.
Continuity in Rotary can be best expressed as Rotary Offer Opportunities to Serve to Change Lives.

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to share that anopinion piece on my behalf that has appeared in The CSR Journal today highlighting vaccine as the only solution to control the pandemic and learnings from eradicating polio in India.

The article also talks about Rotary India’s COVID-19 task force and initiatives at club-level .

Please refer to the below link to read the article:

Combating COVID-19 with Vaccine and Know-How from Ending Polio

About CSR journal– The CSR Journal Magazine is an online platform which covers developments in and around the corporate social responsibility domain through news reporting. They have a monthly reach of around 1 million.

Dear Rotary Leaders

 Now you hear it

Sometimes you don’t. Human voice is an uncanny subject and its link with moods of persons are complex. During these stressful times that is happening during one lockdown after another, I found that hearing to positive reports about how people are helping to fight Covid gives a new meaning to life. My sources of hope these days have been the voices of Rotarians, both near and afar, who inform me how Rotary is stepping up its service activities. I prefer talking to Rotarians, rather than texting and I find myself being enthralled to hear about the huge impact Rotary is able to make in the healthcare area during this pandemic.

So, it was a sheer joy to hear that Medicare equipment worth about INR 300 crore (about USD 41 million) was being distributed in India through Rotary. Rotary Club of Madras North, RI District 3232 had contacted ACT Grants in USA and they put together a huge aid to be sent to India. The Indian arm of ACT Grants, United Way of Bengaluru, represents ACT Grants and Swasth Alliance, a consortium of healthcare professionals from USA. United Way of Bengaluru has entered into a MOU with Rotary India Humanity Foundation to supply many items free of cost for Covid care. They include 50,000 Oxygen concentrators,12,000 Oxygen cylinders, 5,000 BIPAP (Ventilator like machines) (Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure), 100 PSA Plants (Prostrate -Specific Antigen) and 50,000 Pulse Oximeters.

These will be supplied through Rotary clubs in many parts of India and the beneficiaries will include Public Health Care facilities, Primary Health Care Centres, Covid Care centres and community health centres. NGOs who run charitable healthcare centres, selected Private hospitals and individuals who can donate the equipment to PHCs are also eligible to receive the items. The estimated value of this aid is USD 41 million.

With most of us stuck at home, Rotary leaders said, “Thou shalt not remain idle. You shalt be industrious and sharpen your skills and there is enough space for Rotarians who want to do many things.” This meant, ‘Serve Constantly,’ so that those who are fighting for life will know that everything is not lost when Rotarians are there. 

I found that doing such life-saving work keeps us in fine fettle. When the Government said, “It is lockdown time, stay at home,” they did not mean, “Be idle, be happy.” Idling is not honourable for Rotarians and we have to be on the eternal treadmill to keep our projects going. Fancy university degrees and swelling bank accounts cannot buy us happiness. When you stand on the terrace of your home and stare, devoid of thoughts at the blue skies or starry nights you will hear your inner voice saying, “Serve to Change Lives.” That is exactly what we have heard before and will hear again and again as this voice emanates from our heart.

Dear Rotary Leader,

I am excited to announce a potentially game-changing partnership between the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rotary India’s Covid Task Force on COVID to :

1.    Promote mass immunization against COVID

2.    Debunk myths and rumours associated with the COVID vaccines, COVID itself and with concerns associated with it, such as “Black Fungus”, “White Fungus”, et. al

3.    Provide Palliative Care to patients suffering from COVID

4.    Bolster the Health Care Infrastructure in India to be in readiness for any subsequent “Waves” of COVID.

Along with Vice Chairs of the Rotary India’s Covid Task Force PDG Deepak Kapur and PDG Ranjan Dhingra, I was privileged to attend a brainstorming session over a virtual call with the representatives of the Ministry , Health and Family Welfare and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation stationed in the “Ministry of Health War Room” in the offices of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on June 1.

We look forward to working with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in pursuance of the four objectives mentioned above. I will keep you apprised about further plans and look forward to your support and active participation in this endeavour.

Dear Rotary Leaders
The Moving Force
There has to be a force to move mountains to make things happen. Even to do good! Remember the old phrase, “If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must to the mountain?” Taking a cue from this phrase, the Rotarians of RC Pune Central, RI District 3131, decided to move vaccines to the public and not wait for them to come to the vaccination centres.  Pune, the central hub of vaccine manufacture in India, has been in the news for the past several months. Probably, people in India and elsewhere are waiting for more vaccines to be produced here and to be shipped to their States and Countries. These are difficult times for people everywhere and those in Pune are no exception. Rotarians here were moved into action and decided that the population must the vaccinated to prevent Covid from spreading.
The vaccination drive needed to pick up speed with more vaccines being made available, but some reports suggest that wastages take place because of hesitancy among the people to go to a centre and get the jab.The statistics of vaccination released in the press a couple of days ago shows that only 34% of the Indians above the age of 45 and just 42% of those above the age of 60 got their first jab. Only 4.5% of the total adult population of India, which is above 90 crores, got both the doses and only 16% of the total adult population received at least one jab. About 5% of the population in the age group of 18 to 44 years have got their first shot. 
With the second wave of Covid showing no sign of abating soon, it was imperative that people must get vaccinated, since all other restrictions like lockdown, social distancing and wearing masks can only do so much and not give the person the level of protection needed from the virus. The project of RC Pune Central, aptly name VACCINE ON WHEELS is a mobile vaccination clinic with doctors, qualified nurses and IT professionals on board. On-site registration is handled by the IT volunteers. There is a cold-chain and kits to monitor if any adverse event happens after vaccination. 
The Mayor of Pune and the Municipal Commissioner of Pune have entered into a MOU with the club and organisations are generous with their CSR contributions. There are 5 mobile vaccination clinics functioning now in Pune area and already over 5,000 people have been vaccinated from the time the wheels started rolling on May 17, 2021. Seeing the success of this, the Corporations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Cuttack, Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Hyderabad have also shown their interest in partnering with Rotary to get things moving. 
One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency. Rotary leaders around the world have been proactive in offering solutions and help when it comes to saving precious lives of people and people know that we are a different kind of organisation and that extends to the way we talk about our work. Rotarians know that they have a voice and it must be used for the voiceless people. Otherwise, there is no need for a voice within us. Raise your voice, make people take the jab. This is your story and we have only just begun writing about it.

Dear Rotary Leaders

Take That Call

This month marks over one year of challenge we are facing from Covid 19 virus. This has brought Rotary volunteers to the fore like never before. In the months that followed from March 2020, Rotarians attracted the attention of the nation and the world, inspiring hundreds of people to take to serving the people in whatever manner they could.

When we look back today, more than the Covid 19 virus, the community was faced with debating the question “ Life or Livelihood “. Life comes first, but to sustain that life every day, thousands of people needed a livelihood to earn something to buy food. But ordinary people from disparate backgrounds came together to narrow the gap between the ideals of life and lived reality. They gave the hope that life must go on and good times will come.
Rotary clubs have been doing diversified projects during these times and there is no telling what the next idea would be and from where it will come. Helping in vaccination drive, giving oxygen concentrators, oxygen plants, getting wards ready in hospitals to take in more patients and arranging meals are few of the activities Rotarians are doing. Understanding the need of day was hospitalization and more importantly the need for correct news about where beds are available, Rotarians, Anns and Rotaractors from various clubs in Nagpur city have set up a Covid control room and helpline to give information about the bed availability and allotment process to the public. This is perhaps the best example of Government-Rotary-Citizen’s partnership and the call centre works 4 shifts 24×7. In Bangalore the Rotary War Room set up by the Rotarians with 250 volunteers answers over 2,000 calls a day and the telephones have not stopped ringing.

I would encourage all Rotary clubs, especially those in rural and semi-urban areas to get together, talk to the local administration and set up such call centres, give wide publicity to the phone numbers and answer every call. Hear the call of the people desperately wanting help. Give them the proper guidance of where to go for hospitalization immediately and serve to change their lives. This unique call centre idea of Rotarians can be replicated in many towns and cities.

Rooted in our organisation’s mission to inspire, empower and connect people to change their world, Rotary must be seen to touch the lives of people who need help now. The relentless attack of the virus can be stopped by your efforts and people can get a new lease of life once they know that their cries for help will be heard.

Take that call. Be the answer to their hopes that they can live to see another day.

Dear Rotary Leaders,
THE POWER OF 41
In an admirable initiative, 41 Rotary Clubs from Coimbatore in RI Dist.3201 have pooled their resources for ‘Project Sanjeevani’ to coordinate Covid relief activities in the region.

The project focuses on 3 verticals viz. 1. Vaccination 2. Public Awareness and 3. Provision of medical equipment to Govt. hospitals and primary health centres.

Work is on to provide 180 Oxygen beds to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and 260 oxygen beds to Government Medical College Hospital and ESIS Hospital.

An Extracorporeal  Membrane Oxygenation (ECMA) device will also be donated to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.

Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts must pick up the baton and collaborate to provide similar services in all parts of the country.

Rotarians of Coimbatore, I salute you for this outstanding effort in the battle against Covid and for setting a fine example of ‘Service above Self’. You have made Rotary proud! I am sure many Districts in India will will undertake such activities to support the Government in its fight against Covid Pandemic.

Well done Rotary in District 3201 ! Keep it up ! 

Dear friends in Rotary,
ROTARY CLUB OF MADRAS SETS AN EXAMPLE 
When the Covid pandemic struck India, Rotary Club of Madras was the first to enter into an agreement with the Government of Tamil Nadu to partner in the Covid relief work including vaccination. 
Rotary Club of Madras, one of the pre-eminent Rotary clubs in India, thought big and moved fast. The club started off by donating two refrigerated trucks, at a cost of more than Rs.1 crore for transportation of the vaccine.
The club did not stop at that. It has organised 9 camps over two days across the city of Chennai with the assistance of The Greater Chennai Corporation. Over 3,000 people are benefitted in the camps being held on May 16th and 17th in the city. The vaccines are given free of cost.
I must compliment the Club President, Secretary, Project Coordinator and everyone involved for the splendid work.
Many State Governments are now tying up with other Rotary Districts with similar arrangements.  Free vaccination centres are coming up in many places due to the efforts of Rotary clubs. This is widening the scale of beneficiaries across the country.I urge all of you to pick up the baton and tie up with your local government authorities to help people get vaccinated.
At the same time, please ensure that we maintain high standards of safety and hygiene, with physical distancing and the use of face masks at all times. 
We have a long way to go before every Indian walks free of Covid, but Rotary has shown the way. 

Dear friends in Rotary,
 FIGHTING COVID IS OUR PRIORITY
On one hand, we receive daily news of the havoc caused by the Covid-19 virus, the alarming rate of infection and the shocking level of fatalities. At the same time, it is heartening to see that Rotary Clubs and Rotarians across India have come to the forefront of the battle against the dreaded virus. Take a look at the great work done by Rotary in the last few months:
ü  Free vaccination centres have been established in many states.
ü  Refrigerated trucks for Vaccine transportation have been provided.
ü  Availability of hospital beds been enhanced
ü  Oxygen generation plants have been set up in hospitals.
ü  Oxygen concentrators are being provided.
ü  Plasma supplies are being coordinated.
ü  Call centres have been set up to provide accurate information and ensure coordination of Covid relief work.
ü  Dedicated groups of Rotarians have been set up to rush aid to Covid patients.
Once again, Rotarians have proved their insatiable capacity to serve society. I congratulate and salute you for providing exemplary leadership during this National crisis.
However, we have a long way to go. The good work being done needs to be multiplied at all levels. We need more, nay, much more of all the facilities being provided.
The 2nd wave of the pandemic may have peaked, but our efforts need to spike to higher levels. As vaccine supplies get restored to adequate levels, we in turn must gear up to ensure that the communities that we live in become safer and safer, every day.
There is a genuine concern that the virus may seek to infect the younger population. If that were to happen, the economy would be badly hit. The safety net of vaccination needs to spread far and wide to cover as many people as possible, as fast as possible.
I urge all of you to make the battle against Covid your priority. 
 Jaan hai to Jahaan Hai!

Dear Rotary Leaders
Delhi Premier League
The IPL has been postponed. But there is another Premier League in Delhi that is scoring high. Here, you can bet that the players will perform to their highest level of skill and the results are always predictable. It will be a Win-Win situation. Everyone plays for the team and they know how not to breach the bio-bubble that has been created when working in full view of the public and for the benefit of the community.
We are talking about the Rotarians of Rotary Club of Delhi Premier and their work is a story of selflessness, service and commitment to make Delhi a safer place where Covid patients need not die for want of Oxygen. The District Governor of RI District 3011 Sanjiv Rai Mehra had committed to install 10 Oxygen plants within a week! Delhi was always known for its daredevils who can convert any challenge into an opportunity to step up on the run-rate to meet the target. The Club’s President and his team of 72 members installed 7 Oxygen plants in 7 hospitals in Delhi within 2 weeks and the first plant breathed the precious oxygen into the patients within 48 hours of the Club entering the arena. 
Six plants with a capacity of 45 litres per minute were installed in small hospitals which had up to 50 beds and the 500 litres per minute plant was set up in Deen Dayal Hospital which has 100 beds. This Rupees Two Crore project, will benefit hundreds of patients immediately and the hospitals have agreed to treat all underprivileged persons.
After the Rotary Covid Task Force started to interact with the Rotary clubs and leaders, we are seeing how much these unsung heroes accomplish every single day. Rotarians are the ones putting in overtime as frontline healthcare workers in rushing medical aid to various parts of the country. They are taking up activist role in their community and removing vaccine hesitancy among people. Many Rotary families are stepping up to care for the families of those who need help when situation demands their intervention. The news I get about the varied services Rotarians are doing is awe inspiring and what gives me so much hope is that Rotary leaders, everywhere who read these stories, are getting determined to replicate the projects in their districts.
People are waiting in ambulances and some are dying there even before they can enter the hospital premises. We can’t let that happen. Every person who is affected by Covid deserves a treatment. 
Projects done by such Rotary Clubs should be a catalyst for a long overdue investment in development of small medical facilities by Rotary Clubs in every village. Creating such centres will breathe new life into societies and move patients from hope to life. May be some clubs can do it alone, some clubs may need to collaborate with donors and other institutions. But Rotary’s mission will guide our efforts to fulfill our desire of making this world a better and safer place for all to live.
Eradicating Covid is so important to us because we know that people all over the world are watching to see how India gets over this wave. The citizens are observing the full expression of our brilliance, talent and ideas when we say we, “Serve to Change Lives.”
For the participants in the Rotary Premier League, there is no postponement of service, because they feel inspired to continue the work of saving lives today, tomorrow and for eternity.

Dear Mr Sri Katta ,

Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million  leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 116 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our 35,000+ clubs work together to:

• Promote peace
• Fight disease
• Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
• Save mothers and children
• Support education
• Grow local economies
• Environment protection 

Our mission

We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Vision statement

Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Major Health Care Initiatives

Rotary’s most noteworthy initiative in the field of Health is a world-wide initiative to eradicate Polio from the world. Rotary floated the idea that Polio was a disease that could be eradicated from the world, and forged a world-wide partnership with WHO, UNICEF, CDC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance) to help Governments across the world to immunize every child up to the age of 5. Dramatic progress has been made towards a Polio-free world since 1988, with only 2 countries remaining Polio-endemic (Pakistan and Afghanistan). 

Significant initiatives have been undertaken by Rotary Clubs to address the consequences of diseases like Tuberculosis, Measles, Rubella and a whole host of other diseases.

With the advent of the COVID 19 outbreak, Rotarians in India geared up to address issues like :

Providing tele-consultations for people without recourse to physicians 

Actively aiding the Government’s efforts to immunize its citizens against COVID by setting up Immunization Centres, facilitating immunization at Government run Centres, debunking rumours and misinformation about immunization, transporting vaccines, emotional counselling for those suffering from COVID, sourcing and providing masks, PPE Kits, etc. and setting up Oxygen Banks to address the woeful lack of Oxygen in hospitals and for patients quarantining at home.

With the crumbling of the complete Health Infrastructure due to the unprecedented load on it caused by the Pandemic, there is an acute shortage of the following equipment and supplies that Rotary Clubs are trying to provide through a Public-Private initiative :

 Oxygen Cylinders and Oxygen Concentrators ; putting up Oxygen Generating Plants in Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes ; sourcing lifesaving drugs ; Bipap machines ; and Ventilators.

To oversee the entire process of sourcing, procurement, checking the quality of the sourced products and their distribution, the Senior Leadership in India has set up a National Task Force, which has developed the following chain :

National Task Force members (with 1 member charged with overseeing and facilitating operations in different Rotary Districts in India)

The Task Force members work in close cooperation and through the Rotary District Governors of each Rotary District

The District Governors work through individual Rotary Clubs, which are present in almost every town in India. The individual Rotary Clubs work in close collaboration with the Government District Magistrates.

All these activities, in order to generate a snowballing effect in the society, are extensively publicised through frequent Media Conferences and interactions with the Media, as well as PSAs and extensive use of Social Media (multiple WhatsApp groups, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.).

Dear Rotary Leaders

You Take My Breath Away

People all over the world have been left speechless and breathless seeing the service activities of Rotarians and they have said, “You take my breath away.” But today, thousands of people are saying the same phrase, though for a different reason. Yes, Oxygen deficit amid mounting Covid 19 cases have left people breathless and they are dying in hospitals and homes. Covid is taking the breath away of thousands of people everyday and this is not a situation where Rotarians can just wring their hands and be mute spectators.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare says that medical oxygen is a critical component in the treatment of Covid 19 affected persons. India has a daily overall production capacity of over 7000 Metric Tonnes of oxygen, including volumes produced for industrial use. The production of liquid medical oxygen in the county is expected to cross 9,250 MT per day by this month.

Various factors, including the surge in number of cases, has resulted in the shortage of oxygen. Earlier the bulk of health sector’s oxygen requirement was met with supplies delivered in form of oxygen cylinders containing the element either in form of oxygen as high purity gas or through dedicated cryogenic tankers that transport oxygen. With just over 1,200 cryogenic tankers available for transport of liquid medical oxygen, today we need oxygen concentrators to reach every hospital and nursing home in the nook and corner of our country.

Oxygen concentrators can be received as gifts or ordered online from abroad and the Government of India has reduced the GST to 12% till end of June 2021 and waived the customs duty. Custom clearance will be granted for such imports by treating them on par with life- saving drugs.

I request every Rotary Leader to talk to their batchmates and sister clubs in various countries and co-ordinate the shipment of oxygen concentrators to India. Rotary clubs must be able to fund this life-saving equipment by approaching philanthropists in their community and other organisations.

Many countries have promised help and supplies have started arriving. But to micro-manage this crisis of oxygen shortage, Rotary Clubs can receive the concentrators as gifts or even pay for it since no one is safe unless oxygen is available to make you breathe. We have shown the world what world class service is and have given a new lease of life to children, aged people, homeless and those who need medical care. Rotary with over 4,100 clubs in India can deliver oxygen concentrators everywhere.

Now it is time once again to put life into Rotary. Your life and look beyond ourselves. Let every Covid patient wake up to breathe the fresh air of life once again. They should see our Rotary Service and left speechless. Covid cannot be allowed to take their breath away.

Dear District Governors,

Delhi Leads The Way 

Anup Mittal, District Governor-Elect (RI Dist. 3011) informs us that they have received clearance to install a 100- bed extension hospital at Ambedkar Hospital , Rohini , Delhi. This was achieved thanks to the office of PSA , GOI (PMO) , Health Minister of Delhi.            and the Rotary leadership in India.

This Rotary facility would commence operations in 4 weeks with the support of IIT Madras’s innovation technology with prefabricated hospital structure.

This is another fine example of active collaboration between Rotary and government authorities in the fight against Covid. Now is the time to stand up to the expectations of society and show that ours is an organisation truly dedicated to the service of humanity. Such activities will make every government consider Rotary as the first-choice partner in their endeavours.Kudos to the all Rotarians in Delhi on this excellent initiative.

Dear Rotary Leaders

India accounts for 1 in 4 or world’s deaths

The caption you are seeing is the headline in National Newspapers today. With over 3000 fatalities and 3.8 lakh infections on a single day, the situation is worrisome.

So, what is being done by Rotarians to reduce this? I must highlight the work of Rotary Club of Ujjain, RI District 3040 which has established a 100-bed quarantine center in Prashanti Garden which belongs to Rtn. Avanish Gupta. Many Rotarians have helped in this wonderful project which was dedicated to the community by the Education Minister of Madhya Pradesh on 23rd of April.

This is yet another instance of Rotary Serving Humanity. What is service? It is the action of voluntarily giving yourself to awaken humanity. If you attempt to define service, you confine it. However, a simple definition would be that service is the path that provides breakthrough for anyone who ardently desires more in every sphere of human endeavour. Every particle in your body is communicating with the entire cosmos. Service is about experiencing that.

Service is measured by the usefulness of your action. Service gives you the joy and fulfillment of offering something that touches and transforms lives. When urgent humanitarian relief programmes have to be put in place, individuals cannot take up that challenge. We need a structured organisation that can spring into action whenever and wherever humanity needs help.

Make no mistake. Society continues to pick up speed like a racing car on a track. The speed of human movement from pre-modern times to now has increased by a factor of 100. The speed of communication has skyrocketed by a factor of 10 million in this decade. Hence, when you decide to serve humanity, you need the speed and the proficiency to deliver what the community needs.

Rotary Serving Humanity means that every Rotarian has empathy. What India needs now is a new kind of army – the army of the ‘Kind.’ Today, more than ever, society here depends on the total network of relations between good people, kind people and people who cannot afford to see others suffer.

We, in Rotary, are that kind of people. Let us strengthen our army of volunteers and meet the challenge posed by this pandemic. The greatness and glory of Rotary and its service is not just talking about its past, but in the kind of future that we have to create now. Let us make it happen.

Minutes of the Meeting of Rotary’s  India Covid Task Force held on 28 April 2021

Present: PRID Ashok Mahajan (Chairman), Raja Saboo (PRIP), Vice Chairmen Deepak Kapur & Ranjan Dhingra  and 34 committee members and DGs

Meeting started at 12 noon. Chairman Ashok Mahajan welcomed all and requested for a minute of silence in the memory of Rotarians whom we have lost recently to Covid.

Speedy recovery of Rotarians affected by Covid including RIPE Shekhar Mehta and PDG J.B Kamdar.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Ashok Mahajan spoke of the recent work of the Covid Task Force in Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan , Haryana ,West Bengal etc .

He said that over 250,000 free Covid vaccinations have been completed by Rotary in India. 

Rotary’s MOU in Haryana facilitated by PDG T.K Ruby and mobile vaccination units in the State were mentioned. 

MOU of Rotary Club of Madras with the Government of Tamil Nadu was highlighted. 

Chairman appreciated that  Rotary Club of Madras handed over to the Government of Tamil Nadu  two refrigerated vehicles costing over Rs 1 Crore ( about 150,000US$) which can carry 4.4 million Vaccines. 

A 100 bedded hospital has been set-up by Rotary Club of Ujjain, District 3040. 

The Oxygen plant set up overnight in Delhi was appreciated.  This was made possible by the leadership of  DG Sanjeev Mehra. 

Chairman also spoke about the offer of North American Rotarians to transfer funds for oxygen concentrators. 

PRID Panduranga Shetty has informed the Chairman  that oxygen generators worth US $ 1 million had been offered by One of his associates  in the USA. With a condition that freight and clearing charges will be taken by Rotary. Task Force members  urged the Chairman to take the offer and said that required funds can be mobilized.  Vinod Bhatia suggested that recipient districts can be requested to raise funds for freight.

Rotary International Past President Raja Saboo inspired all about the importance of vaccination. If only we had vaccines earlier, we would not have lost leaders like PRID Yash Pal Das and PRIP Luis Giay.  Now that the vaccines are available, we should go all out and save people.  Mobile vaccination unit is a good idea. 

Rotary can and must create awareness about Covid protocols.  He saluted the good work done by Rotarians all over the country and encouraged Covid Task Force to go ahead.

Chairman Ashok Mahajan informed that PRIP Kalyan Banerjee could not participate due to personal reasons.

Zonal Coordinator Sunil K Zachariah presented details of the work done in Kerala.  62,000 free vaccinations have been done through 57 Centres/camps.  Currently there is a vaccine scarcity.  Rotary in Kerala has formulated a 12 point action plan for May and the details were shared. He assured that by 31May Kerala state will have a minimum of 100 Centres /camps and over 100,000 individuals will receive vaccines through Rotary.
Zonal Coordinator T.K Ruby presented details of the MOU with the Government of Haryana.  Rotary has received approval to hold vaccination camps in all districts of the State.  Ruby thanked Dr.Rita Kalra for helping in the partnership with the Government of Haryana.  From 16 April two mobile vaccination units have started operation. More such mobile units have been planned.

Zonal Coordinator Mukul Sinha spoke about alliance with the Government of West Bengal. He assured that the Rotarians of West Bengal will do their best and that several vaccination camps are in the pipeline.  Rotary Car Rally attracted good media attention and created awareness.  End Covid Now Tee shirts made a good impact.

Vice Chairman Deepak Kapur was emotional when he referred to the alarming situation in Delhi.  Patients are dying due to the scarcity of medical oxygen. He spoke about the efforts of DG Sanjeev Mehra who has overnight set up an oxygen generation plant in a hospital.

DG Sanjeev Mehra spoke about the anguish of oxygen shortage.  Rotary District 3011 has installed one Rotary oxygen generator plant and is now in the process of installing another two.  10 such oxygen generation plants have been committed by Rotary  in  D3011 at an estimated cost of Rs.2 crores.
It was decided to use Rotary Club of Chandigarh’s FCRA account for receiving funds from abroad for settling up the Oxygen plant.

Rotary Club of Chandigarh will form a partnership with District 3011  for implementing  the project  in full compliance of the FCRA rules.

Vice Chairman Ranjan Dhingra proposed vote of thanks

Chairman adjourned the meeting at 1.15 pm, after announcing that the next meeting of the Task Force will be held in June.

I am happy to inform you that Rotary Club of Madras, India has risen to the challenge of maintaining the cold chain of Covid vaccination in Tamilnadu, India.

They are donating:

·         2 refrigerated trucks (14 ft.) with a total capacity of transporting 4500 litres of vaccine i.e. 4.4 million doses from the central vaccine store to the Zonal vaccine stores.

·         2 refrigerated trucks (8 ft.) with a total capacity of transporting 2000 litres i.e. 2 million doses of vaccine from the Zonal stores to the District stores.

·         15 Ice Lined refrigerators that can store 1 million doses of vaccines in the district stores

·         1000 vaccine carriers that can be used to vaccinate up to 3 million people each time

Thus Rotary Club of Madras will “Carry the Vaccines for the people of Tamilnadu, India”.

The equipment will be received by the Principal Secretary – Health and Family Welfare – Dr. T. Radhakrishnan, IAS and handed over to the Director of Public Health and Hygiene Dr. Selvavinayagam between 2 PM and 2.30 PM on Tuesday 27th April 2021, at the Tamilnadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate, Chennai, India.

Thus Rotary Club of Madras will “Carry the Vaccines for the people of Tamilnadu, India”.

This is a fine example of Rotary collaborating with the local government and shows the way forward for Rotary clubs all over India.

Recent reports also indicate a serious shortage of supply of medical oxygen in Covid hospitals. This is another area where Rotary Clubs can step up to assist the government.

I urge you to take up these issues in right earnest, because the battle against Covid can be won only if all of us pitch in with all available resources.Please urge Rotary Clubs to help support the vaccination drive in every possible way.
Yours in Rotary

Dear Rotary Leaders

Rotary by any other name

Good news is that the Government of India has approved the plan to mobilise the support of more than 100,000 Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and NGOs to fight Covid 19 surge. The Government think tank, Niti Aayog, has written to the State Chief Secretaries and urged them mobilse all CSOs and NGOs in their area and take their help in ensuring Covid appropriate behaviour amongst the public. This will include spreading messages about the use of masks, need to maintain physical distancing and about the necessity to get vaccinated.

Rotary has been taking the initiative with the Government of India and the various State Governments for the past several months to form partnerships to help to fight Covid. What matters is that now the CSOs (probably Rotary is classified in this category) and NGOs have been invited to join the battle to save 1.3 billion people of the country.

The second wave has taken most of us by surprise. People in the local administration are either confused or terrified, or both. They have many questions on how to defeat the corona virus. May be there is no one place with all the answers. But Rotary has surely a lot of practical knowledge about the advocacy needed in removing vaccine hesitancy and forging rare partnerships with community and religious leaders to spread the message and donate life saving equipment.

People are either suffering from news fatigue or being locked down. Many of them ignored the fear – mongers who said, “Wear the mask, take the jab, keep away from people, good or bad, etc.” and some of them went around the country and later went to their funeral. They are finally isolated! Rotary must spread the message that crowding is bad for health in the present scenario.

Spreading awareness amongst the ‘hashtag’ generation of today is quite easy. The first wave brought into focus the weakness of the society and family life. But Rotary has more than 116 years of experience in implementing emotional health interventions during disasters and virus attacks.

Meet the local Government authorities with the directions given by the Government of India about enlisting our support. Tell them about our ability to strengthen individuals, families and communities in situations however challenging they may be. Use the resources available around you, including the rich spiritual resources of the county to convert patients from victims to victors.
Rotary, by any other name, will be found in the favoured list of the Government to do good. Don’t miss the opportunity to show Rotary Cares. We are all sharing an abiding faith in the possibilities of our Rotary movement. Rotary’s story is part of the larger World Story. Today, we are all together in Rotary and our pride is based on the very simple premise made over 100 years ago, “Service Above Self.” By inviting us, the Government is asking us to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality of pandemic and see how we are measuring up to the legacy of our founding fathers. Rotary Service is the belief that we are connected as one people. Let’s do it.

Dear District leaders

A Country of Particular Concern

During the peak of the first wave, India’s daily case tally did not cross 1 lakh mark. Now India has recorded more than 3.15 lakh cases on a single day. This is the highest ever single day spike in virus in the world. In this scenario, vaccination is the only solution to control the pandemic. I am particularly happy that Rotary India’s Covid Vaccination Task Force has been able to motivate clubs to collaborate with the local governments to start vaccination centres in areas that needed them.

The Rotary Club of Yamuna Nagar Jagadhari, RI District 3080, has collaborated with the Government of Haryana and will start a vaccination drive from April 22, 2021 till May 5, 2021, when centres will be opened near prominent residential areas. They will take the assistance of the Government in administering the jab to eligible people. Our congratulations to the Zonal Coordinator and the District Governor for such a fine initiative. I am sure the leadership will continue to support the Government and make sure every eligible gets the jab .

We understand the concern of the Government of India in not encouraging door-to-door vaccination because of the challenges in maintaining the protocol of observation of people for 30 minutes after vaccination. Further, the report says that frequent movement of vaccine door-to-door can affect its efficacy, occurrence of high wastage and even contamination. In a rare case of Adverse Effect Following Immunisation, (AEFI) Government also does not want delay in reaching a medical facility.

Rotary clubs can approach the local government to permit setting up of special centres to cater to the need of physically challenged persons and senior citizens. This will be a great service since many differently abled people need the support of ambulance to go a vaccination centre. If minimum approved facilities are provided and requirements are met, Rotary clubs can organise smaller vehicles (Maruti Omni) which can be converted into ambulances for transporting differently abled people to vaccination centres.

News reports state that the vaccination pace has dropped again in the last ten days from over 3.6 million daily doses to 2.8 million. There are over 940 million adults in India and if we have to be safe in the coming months, everyone of them must be vaccinated. This means that the average doses should increase to at least 6.8 million per day. Except few States, most States which have reported rapid rise in infections have administered a lower number of doses as per the data published in the national newspapers which have quoted the source as ‘covid19india.org’.

This is the time for Rotarians to act. We may have to address several challenges to get the people vaccinated. But, as I keep on stressing, start from your home, your club members, their families, Rotaractors, Annets, your friends, business associates, workers in your home, offices and everyone known to you or you may meet or talk.

I am sure each one of you will able to involve every Rotary Club in this endeavour to fight against Covid and see that we get rid of this dreadful virus.

Dear District Leaders

The Messenger is also Important as the Message

There cannot be one-size-fits-all approach when we fight Covid 19 globally and in particular within India. But some things have worked in the past during somewhat similar situations. The most important among them is building public confidence that we can win over any pandemic if you adhere to suggestions given by healthcare experts.

The news is alarming. With over 2.9 lakh cases, States are resorting to lockdowns and imposing severe curbs. People call this the second wave, but now we have tools to tackle the virus. Vaccines are the most reliable public health tools. Government has opened up the drive to anyone over the age of 18 years and this brings a great responsibility on Rotarians to promote the programme.

I still get reports that even Rotarians and those associated with Rotary work are still hesitant to accept the vaccine which is a life-saving scientific intervention. I hope you have sent an appeal to all the clubs in your district that every Rotarian and his/her spouse and now all eligible Annets must be vaccinated without wasting time. Probably a weekly reminder to every club is a necessity in today’s context.

Till Tuesday (20.4.2021) over 127.1 million doses of vaccines have been given and near 600 million new eligible people will be added to the beneficiary list from May 1, 2021. It is estimated that nearly 1,200 million doses will be needed to vaccinate all over 18 years if the pandemic has to be brought under control. This calls for Rotary clubs to allocate more time and monetary resources to stress the need for vaccination with the public. India has only administered about 9.21 vaccination doses per 100 persons which is lower than the world average of 11.8 doses per 100 people.

It is hoped that young adults (18 years to 25 years) will take advantage of the new vaccination policy and get the jab as soon as possible. You have to tell the Rotaractos and members of the clubs that they are the messengers chosen by the Government to help to fight this pandemic. The messengers, Rotarians, are trusted and you must set the example now.

Let us unite to fight the pandemic. Everything else can wait.

Dear friends in Rotary,

The morning newspaper tells us that Israel has become the first country to come out of lockdown, with more than 50 % of its population having been vaccinated, and the number of daily Covid cases falling to about 100.

The same newspaper reports that state administrations in India are contemplating varying degrees of lockdown in their respective states, as Covid positive cases continue to rise, with an alarming increase in fatalities. Closer home in Rotary, we have lost some good friends to the dreaded virus.

Are we really doing all we can to win this battle?

Rotary clubs in the state of Kerala, which, only 3 years ago was devastated by floods, have risen to the occasion by setting up free Covid vaccination centres all over the state. This is an exemplary show of Rotary’s dynamism in one of the smallest states of India. I congratulate the Zonal Coordinator, District Governors, District Coordinators and the  Rotarians in Kerala for this magnificent response to the crisis.

It is imperative that Rotary clubs in the rest of India follow the lead set by Kerala , Gujarat , Haryana, Tamil Nadu , Rajasthan , West Bengal and set up collaborative efforts with the local state governments. We must be proactive in this regard and find ways to alleviate the difficulties that arise in the vaccination effort.

Another full-scale lockdown will hit the economy and cause long-term pain for all. We must readily endure short-term inconveniences like physical distancing and use of face masks at all times. Rotary’s leadership insists that all physical meetings be cancelled. Please discourage any gatherings of Rotarians until the government declares it absolutely safe to do so. Any irresponsible behavior by Rotarians will taint the fair name of Rotary.

The next few months will decide the course of this war. The right actions at the right time will bring us victory.

Regards,

Dear District Leaders

I am happy to announce that the Government of Haryana has invited Rotary India’s Covid Task Force to join help them in the mass vaccination programme in the State. I congratulate the efforts of PDG T K Ruby of 3080 who is the Zonal Co-ordinator in arranging this partnership.

There is an often-unspoken belief behind everything Rotary International and Rotary Foundation does. It is the idea that change starts within each one of us and that the action of every single individual can make a powerful difference.  Here is something you might not know. Rotary leaders in India started this task force for you. They knew that building stronger communities and healthier people across the country are right here in your hometown, meant putting together something bigger than all of us. It meant connecting with today’s generation of leaders in all the States in India, investing in the work of the Governments and sharing the solutions for the benefit of over 1.3 billion citizens. This partnership is the model you would have created in your District and would probably find more uses for the benefit of the public.

That is our focus. We want to bring about lasting changes in healthcare partnerships for communities everywhere. But we can’t do it without your support.

The collaboration now in position with nearly half a dozen States is only the beginning of the change you have helped to create, the actions you’ve inspired. There is no chance we could have done all this without you by our side. This incredible task force is the true heart of your work, fueling our mission with your encouragement and support.

Together we should build on this progress during 2021, inspiring, connecting and empowering even more emerging leaders in Rotary, creating more networks for them to join and building a stronger nation for us all.

Let’s do this.

Dear friends in Rotary, The battle against Covid-19 has reached its most critical phase. On one hand, the vaccination drive is facing issues of adequate supply. At the same time, the number of positive cases is skyrocketing to alarming levels.At this juncture, the buzzwords for Rotary India’s Covid Task Force are: Diligence and Vigilance.We need to be diligent in promoting the efficacy of the vaccine and also in enabling vaccination centres to function smoothly. We also need to be vigilant in ensuring that people around us follow safety procedures like the use of face masks and physical distancing at all times.We cannot afford to allow the good work of the past few months to go down the drain. Rotary Clubs across the country must follow the lead set by Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat and set up free vaccination centres to supplement the efforts of the government. A much-needed initiative is the establishment of Quarantine Centres for those Covid + patients who do not need hospitalization. I urge Rotarians to pool their resources and work in this direction.In the meanwhile, we receive daily reports of people gathering in large numbers with complete disregard for safety and physical distance norms. Let us work actively to discourage such behavior.I am confident that this virus can be defeated, but only if all of us remain Diligent and Vigilant at all times. Let’s put our sincere efforts to support the Government in its fight against Covid Pandemic . I know the strength of our Rotarians. I also know that we all can get rid of this virus and ensure safe and healthy life for all . Always remember “WORKING TOGETHER CAN DO WONDERS”

Dear District Leaders

Capital Mistake

We have been advocating that Rotarians should first practice what they are supposed to preach when it comes to following the protocols and recommendations prescribed by the Government and RI in the fight against Covid 19. However, some Rotarians thought that they are those rare preternatural people who are exempt from certain physical laws.

The report received from a capital District of RI shows that at the end of a much-hyped training event held amidst the memories of the Moghul era resulted in many Rotarians contracting Covid.

I am reminded of the famous saying, “It is like blowing the Conch (Shank) into the ears of a deaf person.” To many, the definition of the word ‘Service’ is downright confusing if not incomplete. It looks like, “Your definition is thus different from my definition which is altogether different from any other person.”

In Rotary, you cannot be a service-oriented person for one performance or just for participating in the End Polio mission. The true Rotarian has his moments of service closer together.

Today, India is reporting over 1,35,000 cases and over 600 deaths in just 24 hours due to Corona. The Governments across the world want to take the help of Rotarians because they think we are disciplined, talented, brilliant, masterful, consummate, natural and will set an example. The actions of some Rotary leaders which endanger the lives of members, their families and the public does not seem to be conforming to the example set by RI Board in not having physical meetings and events.

There are many children in the economically backward sections of the society who are facing challenges in getting education during Covid. Their dreams of going back to school is shattered. Rotarians should use their resources to help these children who are eager to learn and absolutely determined to get an education worthy of their promise to become responsible adults in the society.

This is just one of the Service opportunities open to Rotarians now and we are asking you to postpone your revelry and contribute towards such causes. At the end of the day, when Covid is eradicated, we hope you will be able to join the Rotarians worldwide and tell the story of sacrifice and service so that the next generation of Rotarians will be inspired to pick up the baton and go forward to serve the community.

Covid Vaccine for All

For one full year, people all around the world were praying for an effective vaccine to stop Corona from killing them. Scientists delivered not just one, but many excellent vaccines. I expected that the people would be tripping over themselves to get vaccinated and many all over the world did just that. When the arrival of vaccines was announced, there were attempts to cut the line when people found that they were low down on the list of who is eligible and many were impatient at having to wait to get their jab.

But soon, in India, we found that a significant segment of people who did not seem enthusiastic to get the shot. Vaccine hesitancy takes different forms for different people. For some there is scepticism about anything new and some have a nagging suspicion that some conspiracy is afoot. Some people distrust big pharmaceutical companies and many need re-assurance before they could accept the vaccine. Some had wrong information about the vaccine, some are passive and indifferent and some think that vaccine has nothing to do with them. While it will take time to allay the doubts of hardcore conspiracy theorists, we can clear the minds of others who want to save themselves and those around them.

This is why Rotary Clubs were asked to help in creating awareness and advocacy about the vaccines and need to step up the drive. The efforts of the members of Rotary India’s Covid Task Force have now started paying dividends and I must particularly appreciate the efforts of PDG Sunil Zachariah of RI District 3201 and PDG Ashok Panjwani of R I District 3060 who are the Zonal Co-ordinator. Vaccination centres run by Rotary Clubs have started in Districts 3201, 3202, 3211, 3060 and many more are expected to be commissioned soon. In Tamil Nadu, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has given the nod to start vaccination in mini clinics across the State and I am sure many more states may follow the same .  The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid has recommended that those above 45 years can get vaccinated and this is expected to create a huge demand for new vaccination centres.

I request Rotary Leaders in every District to advise the clubs to stop endangering the lives of their members and those in the community by arranging meetings and dinners in hotels and clubs and instead use the resources to support the opening of new vaccination centres.

We have in every district a team that is a communication sophisticate. It has an extremely effective communication system that it uses for various purposes including those which are frowned upon by RI. It is time that this system is deployed to address a larger community need. The soaring numbers that we are seeing today in Covid cases will continue to rise unless there is a serious attempt to get everyone vaccinated. Rotarians, this is your hour to serve. Do it well.Here I am reminded of what Swamy Vivekananda said “ARISE , AWAKE AND STOP NOT UNTIL THE GOAL IS REACHED “ and friends, today our goal is to make sure that we succeed in getting rid of COVID PANDEMIC and save the Mankind. 
Ashok MahajanChairman , Rotary India’s Covid Task Force 

Dear District Leaders
Share the Facts
People need information about the vaccines and vaccination programmes that can be trusted. That is why the Governments need the support of Rotary to reach every nook and corner of India with facts and facilities. This is a time for facts, not fear. This is a time for rationality, not rumors. This is a time for solidarity, not stigma.
Innovation is a part of Rotary’s DNA and critical to achieving its strategic objectives. The task of the Rotary India’s Covid Task Force is to increase the pace of the vaccination drive and strengthen the Government’s objective of vaccinating everyone above 45 years in the days to come.
In this venture, RI District 3201 launched two vaccinating centers in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Government of Kerala. The Government is supplying the vaccines free of cost and also providing trained people to vaccinate the public. RC Kalamasery took the lead in the putting up the centre in Rotary Karmakendra, Vattekunnam and RC Alwaye took the lead in putting up the center in the Rotary Center for Senior Citizens, Pazhanganad.
Rotary volunteers are manning the centres and State Bank of India is helping with the registration process with computers and manpower. Aditya Birla Group has supported with funds for posters and banners to publicise this service. A third center is being set up at Rotary Balbhavan with RC Cochin being the lead club. A Covid ward in the Government hospital near Cochin will get ventilators and other medical equipment worth Rs.70 lakhs through a Global Grant.
I congratulate the efforts of the Rotarians and the guidance given by the District Governor Jose chacko Madhavassery and Zonal Co-ordinator PDG Sunil Zachariah of the Zone. We have to jointly work to make our programme sustainable and every Rotary Club can contribute towards this cause. Life saving vaccines supplied by the Government must reach the beneficiaries and today your initiative and support can make this happen. 
You have to attract a diverse range of donors and investors in Rotary’s programme immediately. Donors must be told that vaccines are one of the most successful and cost-effective health investments in history and people need to get vaccinated for the wellbeing of everyone in the community. The level of advocacy must be stepped up and vaccine hesitancy must be addressed by you and other task force co-ordinators. To begin with, every Rotary club must proudly announce that all their eligible members and their spouses have been vaccinated and this will mean nearly 200,000 people belonging to Rotary have got the vaccine.  Let’s do our best to strengthen the efforts of the Government in its fight against COVID. I know we can do and I I know we all SHALL do .Wish you all a very happy and colorful HOLI ….