Two remote villages in Padinharethara grama panchayat in Wayanad district have become the first Red Cross villages in the nation.
The district branch of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) has adopted Kappikkalam and Kuttyam Vayal villages, around nine km from Padinharethara town, for the purpose.
“The IRCS plans to set the villages as a model in first aid and basic rescue techniques by training nearly 1,200 members of 380 families, including 150 tribal families, in the villages in a year,” George Vathuparambil, chairman of the Wayanad branch of the IRCS, told said.
He said the organisation would issue certificates to the participants on the completion of the programme.
“The villagers, similar to many other villagers in the country, are ignorant of the significance of administering first aid on time. Hence, we decided to adopt the villages to make a core change on the outlook of the public on first aid and basic rescue techniques. Moreover, the IRCS has also decided to expand the functioning of the organisation to remote villages this year,” Mr.Vathuparambil said.
Organising blood group identification camps to form blood donor forums, measures for litigation-free villages, promotion of organic farming, and waste management with the support of local bodies are among the programmes planned by the organisation in the villages.
The local bodies in the district have offered support for the programme, he said.
The IRCS also has plans to promote apiculture with the assistance of the Khadi Board to ensure sustainable income for the tribespeople in the villages.
A library with modern facilities, planting ornamental flower plants on the sides of the Padiharethara- Banasura Sagar reservoir road, awareness programmes on tuberculosis among the tribespeople, and 100% literacy for villagers are among the other programmes drawn up for the villages by the Red Cross Society.
