Our Reporter
Dimapur, Oct. 23 (EMN): Helping Hands, Nagaland chapter was inaugurated by Special Commissioner, Delhi Police cum founding president of Helping Hands, Robin Hibu at Livingstone Foundation International Dimapur on Sunday.
Delivering the keynote address, Robin Hibu recalled when he was the DIG of Arunachal Pradesh, he had led a team that recovered INR 15 crore, stolen in a heist from Anini treasury in Upper Dibang Valley district. The government gave him a cash award of INR 25,000 and a medal, and with that amount he started Helping Hands, Hibu shared.
Hibu stated that in the last four years, the NGO has buried and cremated 297 bodies of people belonging to the Northeast, added that he is now handling 27 cases of cybercrime from Nagaland, out of which six are from Dimapur.
While sharing a brief update about Helping Hands, Hibu said that it is a charitable non-profit non government organisation in India, operated by serving NE officers comprising IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, IFOS, lawyers, entrepreneurs, artists and journalists and others.
The team comprises 1676 volunteers,and seven legal teams while 47 NGOs are tied up with Helping Hands who are experienced in their field.
The operational framework consists of 21 core members including engagement layers consisting volunteers, counsellors, legal team and local NGOs.
Helping Hand provides emergency assistance for NE people during accidents and suicides, burials, cremations, aid to destitute, crime victims and deaths. He also informed that there are 57 hospitals in Delhi which provide concessions for poor people from the Northeast ranging from 20% to 60%.
During distressing situations of Northeast citizens, the volunteers help the victim, connect their families and also raise money for emergency assistance, unite the dead with the loved ones, give proper burials or cremations and even provide financial assistance to those NE people who are economically weak.
It also provides civil service coaching for the NE youths under the CSR schemes that includes scholarship at top coaching centres in Delhi; sports scholarship for Northeast youth and scholarship for NE orphaned girls and others.
Hibu also informed that it has also started a blood bank for NE people at AIIMS, adding that special voter registration camps for NE citizens are held in Delhi annually.
He said that he has converted his ancestral home into Mahatma Gandhi Rural Information Centre and library at Hong village in Arunachal Pradesh.
While delivering the welcome address, Chairman of Livingstone Foundation International and President of Helping Hand Nagaland, Andrew Ahoto Sema said the time had come for people to be more givers than takers; and to discard selfish and greedy inhibitions.
‘Let’s start with ourselves first, let us leave a footprint, a trade mark from today onwards which will remain forever even after we are gone,’ he stated.
He encouraged the gathering to stay connected, be active and work in peace and harmony for humanity.