Rotary International, which is now being headed by Indian industrialist Kalyan Banerjee, plans to organise a conference of South Asian nations – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal – to promote peace, cooperation and development in the region. The US-based international social service organisation with presence in over 200 countries will also be renewing its focus on polio eradication in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“We will be organising the South Asian Conference of Cooperation and Development in Sri Lanka in September this year that is aimed at facilitating exchange of ideas and bringing people, particularly youth of these countries, together. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse is likely to inaugurate this conference, which could be attended by Prime Ministers of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. This one big initiative will hopefully help bring these nations closer,” Mr. Banerjee told The Hindu .
Mr. Banerjee, who assumed charge as the head of Rotary International in July 1, 2011, wants to focus on the development of South Asia through various social and health initiatives of his organisation. “We want to mobilise the strength of Rotarians to deal with health and education issues in India and its neighbouring countries. Polio eradication tops our list…as one of the four remaining polio endemic countries, which also include Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, India’s fight against polio remains strong with the volunteer and financial support from Rotary International. We are also looking at promoting computer education, literacy and sanitation, besides helping in various rebuilding and relief operations. In Africa, we will be focusing more on AIDS awareness and its treatment,” he said.
Talking about Rotary International’s education initiatives, Mr. Banerjee said apart from giving scholarships to students for higher studies, they have instituted new “peace scholarships” that are being given to 60 students for studies in six global universities – two in the US and one each in the UK, Sweden, Australia and Japan. “These $100,000 scholarships are for peace studies…through this initiative we hope that once these students join various organisations after completing their studies, they will make a difference in their societies and nations by promoting peace and brotherhood,” he explained.
Mr. Banerjee, who is Director of India’s leading agrochemical manufacturer United Phosphorus Limited and also Chairman of United Phosphorus (Bangladesh) Limited, is looking at expanding the base of Rotary International by adding new nations to its list. “We currently have over 12-lakh leading professionals and business leaders as our members. While the US citizens form 32 per cent of the organisation’s strength, Indians come second with almost 10 per cent representation. Now we want to take the Rotary International to new places like the Gulf region and countries like China, Vietnam and Myanmar to help contribute to the growth and development of these nations. We want to bring people closer…and peace will automatically follow,” Mr. Banerjee added.
Underlining India’s special connection to the Rotary International this year, Mr. Banerjee said for the first time in the history of the organisation there were three Indians (including him) in its 17-member Board. Incidentally, Mr. Banerjee is only the third Indian to head the over 100-year-old organisation.
