Scouts mobilised for health campaigns

Sources say 18,000 boy scouts & girl guides will be activated in Rawalpindi Division

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has green-lighted the deployment of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in various public interest campaigns, including anti-polio and anti-dengue drives.

It is decided to activate Boy Scouts and Girl Guides across Punjab, including the Rawalpindi Division, with implementation already underway.

There are approximately 18,000 Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in the Rawalpindi Division. To mark their activation, an oath-taking ceremony was held on Friday.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Amir Khattak took the oath as the divisional president of the Boy Scouts. Muhammad Tariq Qureshi took oath as the provincial secretary of the Boy Scouts Association on the occasion.

The ceremony was attended by the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC), Additional Commissioners, and other administrative officers, in addition to Scout officials.

After taking the oath, the Commissioner said that measures would be implemented at the divisional level to enhance the experiences of scouts and their involvement in community service. To strengthen society, it's essential to foster the spirit of public service.

"DCs should work to reinforce their respective associations. The Boys Scouts organisation is currently being restructured throughout Punjab. Presently, there are 18,000 Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in Rawalpindi. More scouts should be registered to encourage a culture of voluntary service," he added.

Khattak asked DCs to motivate representatives from schools and colleges in their respective districts to actively engage in the registration process. "Once the registration is completed, our workforce will expand."

The Rawalpindi Commissioner announced that the workforce would be deployed in various public interest projects, including anti-polio and anti-dengue campaigns. "This initiative aims to extend the scouting movement to every school, instilling confidence in the younger generation."

"Boy Scouts and Girl Guides will play a crucial role in performing duties such as anti-polio, dengue, measles, and door-to-door vaccination. However, they will also receive a stipend for their services, the commissioner further said, adding this workforce will be referred to as the administration's uniform force.