CHANDIGARH:  With a view to ensuring comprehensive social security & health cover to the disadvantaged sections, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandgiarh, Gen. (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM, Monday inaugurated an Awareness Camp at village Burail, a part of Union Territory, by integrating various services network under one-roof.

This new, community-based services delivery programme has a special focus on educating public opinion and enhancing awareness about the various services and facilities available to the citizens in need, so that they can avail the benefits of various schemes, including pensions for the old, disabled and women of weaker sections of society, financial assistance to disadvantaged people for setting up their own business, health checkup of patients by a team of doctors and the launching of training courses for girls in various professional skills, like housekeeping, beauty culture, pot making etc, to enable them to earn their livelihood and achieve self-reliance.

Accompanied by Mrs. Jean Rodrigues, the Administrator went round the different rooms, interacted with the service providers and social activists helping the poor & needy in filling up forms and completing various formalities for availing the benefits under different schemes.

He told them to evolve an institutional mechanism for the follow up of various programmes and for removing bottlenecks coming in the way of the smooth functioning of social security, health care, education and legal services delivery system.

They also interacted with the old, poor and handicapped visiting the Awareness Camp and asked about their difficulties in using the services being provided by the concerned departments. He noted, with concern the ignorance of the health & welfare systems, despite the availability of various schemes and programmes in place. He asked the officers to strengthen their organizational structures and increase the outreach with the focus on the civic and healthcare needs of the rural & urban poor.
 
Interacting with the Jurists and the staff of the Legal Service Authority on the occasion, General Rodrigues told them to make the Service Delivery System more transparent & people-oriented, particularly to benefit  the disadvantaged. 

He said that we must institutionalize a system to speedily sort out petty issues with the consent of concerned parties at the local level, to avoid the cumbersome process of legal remedies in Courts and make the concept of litigation free society a reality. 

He asked  local concerned citizens to come forward to guide & educate the people for settling their disputes in the Lok Adalats and to work for the legal empowerment of the communities.

Emphasizing the need of a pro-active role by the NGOs and social activists, General Rodrigues asked the senior officers of the Administration to form a core group, of retired medical professionals and other concerned citizens, to establish a responsive system to reach out to needy people.

Jean Rodrigues distributed certificates to over 35 beneficiaries, including handicapped and disadvantaged women who completed their vocational training in different professionals programmes. 

Mrs. Rodrigues advised them to make use of the skills and certificates for empowering them and to achieve economic independence to be self-reliant in their lives. These programmes are regularly organized by the Department of Social Welfare of the Chandigarh Administration to benefit the poor & needy.

Senior officers of different departments of the Administration, Social activists and NGOs attended the Awareness Camp.