Wind in the sails of Pronam project

At the Pronam meeting in Bell Vue Nursing Home

April 13, 2014: Last two evenings on Friday and and Saturday (April 11 and 12) I was occupied with matters related to The Bengal. On Friday I had a meeting with the CEOs and heads of prominent hospitals along with Mr Surajit Kar Purkayastha, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, and other senior police officials, at the BelleVue Nursing Home to discuss the Pronam Project.

Meeting with the Commissioner of Police

It was a very important meeting in which heads or senior representatives of twenty private hospitals of the city came forward to pledge their support for Pronam members – who are all senior citizens. Already fifteen hospitals are on board with Pronam but given the growing membership base of Pronam – 10,000 plus registered elderly members – there's a compelling need to rope in more hospitals to be involved in the project to expand medical care.

The meeting was important because some decisive strides were taken as the hospitals not only pledged their support but decided to work out the contours of a medical agenda or action plan to streamline treatment, medical care and awareness for the Pronam members.

With Goutam Ghose

There has been numerous inquiries from the elderly citizens of Kolkata and other cities seeking to become Pronam members. Efforts are on to expand the reach of Pronam in terms of infrastructure, manpower, resources and funding in order to cater to more elderly citizens who are often lonely and in need of social support, security and medical care. Two more offices would be equipped with adequate infrastructure to handle Pronam's expansion plans.

The project Pronam, which had Jyoti Basu and Suchitra Sen as its members, is one of the most successful and an exemplary joint ventures of The Bengal and the Kolkata Police. The new efforts, I am sure, will put wind in the sails of the Pronam project.

On Saturday evening there was a meeting of The Bengal team members at The Taj Bengal to conduct some serious planning and action. 

The Commissioner of Police, Surajit Kar Purkayastha (IPS), Additional Commissioner of Police (III), Debasish Roy (IPS), Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Division, Murli Dhar, were also invited as special invitees to the meeting to discuss the Pronam project.

At The Bengal meeting at Taj Bengal

The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of The Bengal, industrialist, H M Bangur, who discussed the two new sub-offices of the Pronam project. Goutam Ghose emphasized that the organization should take up a project of banning plastic bags in the city while Roopa Ganguly offered to personally visit the Pronam members in her area.

The meeting decided that a three-member committee of Roopa Ganguly, Usha Uthup and Anniruddha Roy Chowdhury, shall prepare a project plan on campaign against the use of plastic bags in the city for consideration of the Committee. Working President, Jogen Chowdhury, would drawing a sketch for the cover page of the upcoming magazine of Pronam.

With The Bengal team members Bickram, Gargi, Jogen da, Roopa and Harimohan Bangur

Anandi Ghosh, Joint Convenor of the Pronam project, briefed the committee about the meeting with the CEOs of prominent hospitals.

The President, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, discussed womens' issues in the meeting and Bickram Ghosh offered an entertainment programme for the South and South East division members of the senior citizens project.

Before the meeting, the members and guests enjoyed jhaal muri, puchka, fish cutlets with cutting chai and, of course, there was a chaanch to beat the summer heat.

ess bee