21 Jul 2017

Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Patrick Ralotsia says President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama leaves behind a legacy.

Mr Ralotsia said this at a donation of food hampers to 110 residents of Ntlhantlhe and Lekgolobotlo recently.

Mr Ralotsia, also Member of Parliament for Kanye North, said President Khama, who would leave office end of March next year, would forever be remembered for having revived the spirit of charity and volunteerism, which was fast leaving the nation before he came along in 2008.

Mr Ralotsia said government was of the view that the private sector had a critical role to play in the development of the nation.

Although the nation had achieved a middle income status, he explained that it still had issues of poverty, power supply, health and as such needed the private sector to come on board.

The minister also thanked area councillor, Mr John Taolo for having established a relationship with the stakeholders that culminated with the donation.

He described Mr Taolo as an ideal representative with the welfare of his community at heart.

He stressed that political representatives should always come up with innovative ways to develop their communities rather than idling time away doing nothing.

Mr Ralotsia has nonetheless challenged the beneficiaries to strive to graduate from abject poverty, adding that there was so much indignity in poverty.

He also implored Bank of Baroda to set up in his constituency.

He said the constituency was perhaps the only one across the country without a bank, much less, an Automated Teller Machine.

He also congratulated Mr Sonny Phiri on his new appointment as Moshupa Sub-District Council chairperson.

He described the appointment as a show of confidence on him by his colleagues.

For his part, Indian High Commissioner to Botswana, Dr Ketan Shukla said the donation was intended to celebrate Bank of Baroda’s 110th anniversary and India’s 70th anniversary of Independence.

Dr Shukla said the donation also fostered ties between the two nations.

He said the two nations had cooperation in areas of health, education, culture, trade and defence.

He said the main focal areas of the relationship were education and technical support.

He said over 12 000 scholarship slots for various courses were offered under ITEC/SCAAP programme in the 47 premier training institutions in India.

“We will empower and support our civil society organisations to undertake functions that are complementary to government development efforts,” he said.

Dr Shukla explained that the Indian community had always been on the forefront of charity functions and socio-economic development in the country.

Among others, he shared that Dr Shroff’s charity eye hospital from New Delhi, India, conducted a cataract blindness campaign in Serowe, Molepolole and performed over 1 500 sight restoration surgeries.

He said the donation answered Vision 2036’s call for civil society organisations to partner with government in the national development process.

Dr Shukla commended Botswana Hindu Society Shiv Pariwar Group and Bank of Baroda for the kind gesture, adding that service to humanity was service to God.

He said the Group offered 100 people from Gakgatla eye-screening tests and provided free spectacles for the needy.

“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood,” he quoted the Book of Isaiah 58:7 from the Bible.

When handing the donation, project coordinator, Mr Harish Pathak said they believed the world was one big family.

Likewise, he said they viewed service to mankind as service to God.

He said they had in the past donated food packages to Mochudi Centre for the Blind, Ramotswa Centre for the Deaf, Mma Mhiko Feeding Centre and SOS, among others.

The food hampers were worth P25 000.

Mr Pathak further pledged continued support to the cause of the needy going forward.

Meanwhile, Bank of Baroda managing director, Mr Ravindra Patil explained that the donation was intended to plough back into the community.

He said they picked 110 beneficiaries with a view to celebrate the bank’s 110th anniversary.

He said the bank, which was started by Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III in Baroda in 1908, had a customer base of 60 million across the world. BOPA