Red Cross Society joins Kiran Verma’s walk for a noble cause

PNS|Vijayawada

Recognising the efforts of Kiran Verma, a Delhi-based walker, to promote voluntary blood donation and his 21,000-kilometre walk. Kiran Verma is addressing thousands of youth and students to make them realise the importance of blood in emergencies and to come forward for donating blood to save the lives of fellow citizens.

The Indian Red Cross Society joined his walk from Kesarapalli to Gannavaram on Monday. A meeting was organised by the Society’s Gannavaram sub branch with students of NTR Government College of Veterinary Sciences on the college premises.

Addressing the gathering, Kiran Verma narrated his experiences related to blood requirement in emergencies and how his uncle died of non-availability of blood in time. His experience with a professional blood broker, who encashed his voluntary blood donation and demanded money from a poor patient, made him launch this mission to create awareness on blood donation. His objective is to ensure that no person dies of non-availability of blood in India by 2025.

Dr Sridhar Reddy, chairman of AP Red Cross, lauded his efforts and appealed to the student fraternity to donate blood and encourage blood donation to deal with the shortage.
BVS Kumar, State coordinator of Red Cross Blood Banks and Projects in AP, assured that all Red Cross Blood Centres in the State would support Kiran Verma in his marathon walk. Satyanarayana of the Singapore Red Cross explained the functioning of blood banks in Singapore, where blood donors donate platelets every month.

Dr Sridhar Reddy felicitated Kiran Verma with a shawl and memento. Chinni Madhavi, chairman, Dr Raj Kishore, vice-chairman of Red Cross Gannavaram sub branch, and Dr Sridevi, Associate Dean and Principal of Veterinary College, were present. Around 50 students joined Kiran Verma and walked up to Gannavaram in support of the cause.