Jammu, Dec 5 (PTI) Acknowledging the significant contribution made by the volunteers of Red Cross to help combat the coronavirus threat in Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said they believed in the importance of the common good and served the society selflessly in the time of the pandemic.

Sinha was speaking after participating in the International Volunteer Day celebrations at the Police auditorium at Gulshan Ground here. The day is being celebrated throughout India including the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the theme “Together We Can Through Volunteering” highlighting the core spirit of volunteerism.

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The Lt Governor hailed the Jammu and Kashmir chapter of the Red Cross Society and all those associated with the organisation on the occasion for their selfless work.

“The day is an opportunity to express our gratitude to all those volunteers who believe in the importance of the common good and have served the society selflessly,” he said.

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“I believe that the desire to help and to ensure the well-being of our communities is one of the key ways in which we can build smarter and caring societies. The virtues of selflessness, altruism and dedication towards the welfare of others without expectation celebrates humanity,” the LG said.

He said volunteering for selfless service represents an important part of the Red Cross movement.

“I feel that for the spirit of service, to become a volunteer, it is not necessary to have a degree, but passion, love, and a soft soul. To rise above the self and serve humanity is deeply ingrained in our great Indian culture,” he said.

The Lt Governor expressed pleasure that the society has been working in J-K since 1947 and has a strong team of volunteers in all 20 districts of the union territory. The society not only helps the needy at troubled times, but also organises events to educate people about dealing with emergency situations like natural calamities which is praiseworthy, he added.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor also felicitated volunteers from across the UT for their selfless service.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)