Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 4
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed willingness to work together with the Nagaland branch of the Indian Red Cross Society in sectors such as health and water supply in interior and border areas of the state.
A five-member delegation of the ICRC led by its deputy head of delegation Yahia Alibi and with Dr. Luc Frejacques, deputy protection coordinator Alexis Heeb, Jean Guittet and Sahadeo Rawoot, is on a week-long visit to Nagaland. They observed the priority areas for cooperation to include health, water supply and sanitation.
The team also said another area where the ICRC could assist was alleviation of the plight of victims of conflict, especially rehabilitation of widows and children. Deputy protection coordinator of ICRC Alexis Heeb said ICRC has been active in Jammu and Kashmir for over 15 years in providing humanitarian services to victims of conflict situations. He was in interaction with the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur Maongwati Aier, members of IRCS Nagaland and the local media in the DC conference hall today.
He said the ICRC has observed the need for extending services in different areas to alleviate the suffering of conflict victims particularly in Chhattisgarh and the Northeast region. Informing that their visit to Nagaland was to assess areas where the ICRC could help and provide assistance, Heeb felt that the needs of the rural population are immense. He assured support to the local branch of the IRCS in capacity-building measures to carry out tasks effectively.
Deputy Commissioner Moangwati Aier in his address termed the visit of the ICRC team as ‘rare and historic’ for the Dimapur district unit of the Indian Red Cross Society. Informing that there are 886 disabled persons in the district, the DC appealed to the ICRC to extend suitable rehabilitation measures. Also informing the visiting ICRC delegate on the richness of mineral resources in Nagaland, the DC urged the ICRC to develop human resources of the state. The ICRC delegation was later seen off at Dimapur Airport by members of Nagaland IRCS.
