Rotarians serve meals to children in Dhanbad on Tuesday and (right) new Bokaro Rotary Club president Chandrima Ray. Pictures by Gautam Dey and Pankaj Singh

Dhanbad district unit of Rotary International organised a foodgrain distribution programme across 90 clubs, including those at Shakti Mandir and Jalaram Temple in Jharia on Tuesday, during which rice and wheat were handed out to the needy.

According to district governor of Rotary International Sanjay Khemka, a feast for 100 people was organised in Dhanbad along with similar feasts for 50 people at Jalaram Temple in Jharia, students of Jeevan Jyoti School at Bekarbandh and inmates of a rehabilitation centre run by Missionaries of Charity at Bhudawere.

Spokesman Vivek Upadhyay said, “The foodgrain distribution function and feasts were organised to mark the beginning of Khemka’s tenure as the new district governor of Rotary, Dhanbad.”

Khemka, who heads the Dhanbad district unit of Rotary with 90 clubs and 3,100 members, said he had plans to increase the number of clubs to 100 and members to around 4,000.

“Rotary International is also planning to establish four eye hospitals across Bihar and Jharkhand during the current financial year. One of these would be set up at Dhanbad,” Khemka said, adding the cost of each hospital would be around Rs 35 lakh.

“We also have plans to construct toilets in government girls schools to check the rate of dropouts and, hopefully, improve the attendance record of schools,” he said.

Khemka claimed Rotary was also planning to launch several e-learning initiatives for children of remote areas.

New president

Chandrima Ray, a senior teacher of English at St Xavier’s School, Bokaro, has been named president of Bokaro Rotary Club for 2014-15.

Chandrima, who becomes the first woman president of the club, took charge from Sanjay Tewary on Tuesday. Installation of all the new office-bearers will be held on July 6 at the club in Sector IV.

On her first day as president, Chandrima organised a blood donation camp at Bokaro General Hospital, followed by a free dental cleaning camp for poor children at St Xavier’s School.

Later, a free food camp was held for over 100 children at Manav Seva Sansthan after which a plantation drive was also held.

“Social work for a noble cause is my mission and I will try to rope in every strata of society… together, we can do wonders for development of society,” she told The Telegraph.