MP Dr Rabindra Behera calls for mass participation in ‘Seva Sankalp’ campaign .

JAJPUR,13/09(PPT): Jajpur MP Dr. Rabindra Behera has called for the ‘Seva Sankalp’ campaign, being launched nationwide drawing inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life and service, to be turned into a mass movement in Odisha.

Mr. Behera said the campaign should go beyond being a programme and encourage wider public participation in community service. He said its focus would be on reaching people at the grassroots, including tribal communities, women, farmers, youth, the poor and other disadvantaged sections.

The campaign is proposed to be taken to the organisational district, mandal and booth levels. Activities such as blood donation camps, cleanliness drives, voluntary labour, tree plantation and public awareness programmes will be organised, while efforts will be made to involve ordinary citizens in the initiative.

“Service need not be big in scale; what matters is the spirit of service,” Mr. Behera said. He added that blood donation, planting a tree, participating in cleanliness drives or helping an eligible person access government welfare schemes could all constitute meaningful contributions to public service.

The MP said youth would be an important component of the campaign, with painting, elocution, discussions and other creative competitions proposed in schools and colleges on themes such as ‘Viksit Bharat-2047’, nation-building and public service.

He also said women’s empowerment, farmers’ prosperity, skill development among youth, welfare of the poor and development of tribal communities would be integrated into the campaign. Awareness and assistance programmes would seek to improve access to various welfare schemes of the Union and State governments, he said.

Describing ‘Seva Sankalp’ as more than a month-long programme, Mr. Behera said it should evolve into a long-term commitment to public service and people’s participation in development.

He appealed to the people of Jajpur to participate in the campaign through activities ranging from voluntary labour and blood donation to tree plantation and assisting vulnerable persons in accessing their entitlements and government benefits.