President M Abdul Hamid urged authorities concerned to build skilled youths through providing basic training on disaster management and create mass awareness to cope with disasters. “This is an urgent to build trained manpower and volunteers with the support from both the government and international organisations to mitigate the loss of natural calamities”, he said.
The President said this on the eighteenth instant while addressing the opening session of the 13th National Youth Red Crescent Camp 2017 of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
Terming Bangladesh a disaster-prone country due to its geographical location and global warming, he also asked all concerned, including the disaster management and relief ministry and BDRCS, to formulate a time-befitting plan to mitigate the risk of natural disasters.
“It’s quite impossible to stop or control natural calamities…but the losses caused by natural disasters can be minimised significantly by creating mass awareness as well as educational activities”, President Hamid observed. Highlighting different pragmatic steps taken by the government to deal with various natural catastrophes, he said the Bangladesh’s resilience in addressing the adverse impacts of the climate change has gained appreciation globally.
“You (youths) are also a part of that success.” The President stressed creating a strong volunteers’ network involving youths so that the society can expand its voluntary activities across the country.
Noting that the youth is the country’s future to build a prosperous nation earlier dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he hoped that the youth forces would present a ‘golden morning’ in an honest and true manner staying above all superstations.
Abdul Hamid thanked the young chaps specially the students involved in different humanitarian services beside their academic activities. “You’ve to think what Bangladesh you want in 2021, when the country will observe its golden jubilee,” the President said, adding that the youths must play a significant role to materialise the Vision-2021 and the Vision 2041 and build the hunger- and poverty-free ‘Sonar Bangla’ earlier envisioned by the Father of the Nation.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim, BDRCS Chairman Hafiz Ahmed Mazumder, BDRCS Vice-Chairman and member of the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent) Dr M Habibe Millat and BDRCS Secretary General BMM Mozaharul Haque, among others, spoke on the occasion.
