Ever since, the formation of State in 2000, around 500 Scouts and Guides have qualified for the ‘Rajya Puraskar’ but are yet to be felicitated with the honour. The issue will soon be conveyed to Governor Droupadi Murmu, who is also the Chief Patron of Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) at the State for conducting the felicitation. Besides, the honour, BSG wings functioning across the state is facing challenges at the grassroot level.
“Unlike, National Cadet Corps (NCC), the situation of BSG is pathetic in the state for past 15 years. We are struggling for infrastructure and financial assistance to promote the purpose of our organisation. Parents, teachers and students in most of the Government and private schools are unaware of our role in developing the personality of a student which in future will be helpful in grabbing a prestigious job as there is a certain quota for Scouts and Guides in many organisations and educational institutions,” said Manoj Kumar Yadav, the State Commissioner of BSG during the Working Committee’s meeting at the state capital on Saturday.
Asked why BSG is neglected, he pointed the constant support of Army towards NCC. “NCC is connected with Army and BSG is dependent on the state government. Army has been making consistent efforts to maintain the NCC standard. However, it is vice-versa with BSG. For instance, the annual fee Rs5 charged for BSG programmes in the 130 registered schools is utilized for other development activities. Moreover, the state government is not allotting us the yearly grant since 2007,” added Yadav.
In order to find a solution to the existing problems, the Working Committee headed by Former District Education Officer SC Marandi has recently sent a letter to the Governor requesting to devote few minutes for a discussion.
“We hope the Governor will look over the matter. It is difficult to trace the 500 Rajya Puraskar recipients so we have asked the registered schools to provide the list of awardees ensuring their presence for the felicitation ceremony under the aegis of the Governor. The awards of remaining Scouts and Guides will be delivered to their respective schools,” said Yadav.
Interestingly, a Scout or Guide is selected for the Rajya Puraskar on the basis of outstanding performance in the three camps conducted outside their educational institution. Despite the odds, the Scouts and Guides have not only maintained a record in Rajya Puraskar but also in President’s Award. “In last one year, 14 Scouts and Guides have received the President’s Award,” said a Senior Scout posted at the BSG Headquarter in the state capital.