HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, Feb 14: The ‘Snakebite, Awareness, Response, Prevention and Action’ (SARPA) Assam team organised a stakeholders’ workshop on co-development of implementation strategies at Sukapha Bhawan in Sivasagar on Friday. The Indian Council of Medical Research-sponsored workshop focused on community empowerment and engagement to mitigate snakebite envenoming and brought together district officials, health administrators and community representatives.
The programme was chaired by Bidisha Saikia, Branch Officer (DM, Sivasagar) and began with welcome remarks by Dr Rafika Yasmin, Project Scientist of the ICMR Zero Snakebite Death Project. Dr Surajit Giri, Co-Principal Investigator, outlined the objectives and methodology of the project and sought guidance from stakeholders to ensure effective implementation during its tenure.
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A key highlight of the workshop was the release of a dedicated 24×7 Snakebite Helpline Number – 99578-75108. The helpline, the first of its kind among implementing states is designed to provide immediate assistance, awareness and referral support in snakebite-related cases. Aksheeta Sharma, Project Technical Assistant, explained the functioning of the helpline and emphasized the importance of community participation in spreading awareness and sharing the number among families and groups. She also shared updates on the team’s progress and outlined upcoming activities. The session later opened for participants to offer feedback and suggestions on field-level strategies and inter-departmental collaboration.
The workshop was attended by Mridul Yadav, District Commissioner of Sivasagar, along with Dr SA Laskar, State Nodal Officer, SBPC, NHM and State Coordinator of the SARPA Project ICMR Assam; Dr Gayatri Senapati, District Nodal Officer; Dr Arundhati Borah Hazarika, Additional Health Officer; the District Programme Manager, NHM; the CEO of Sukapha Hospital; the CEO and ADC of DDMA; officials from various district administrative departments; tea garden managers and wildlife rescuers from Geleky and Demow blocks. Around 60 stakeholders participated in the programme, reflecting strong collective commitment to the initiative.
The District Commissioner assured full support from the district administration for the project’s implementation, while the State Nodal Officer highlighted the importance of collective efforts in achieving the vision of zero snakebite deaths and elaborated on steps taken by the state government to strengthen the initiative.
The SARPA Project is currently being implemented across seven states in India with Assam’s Geleky and Demow blocks in Sivasagar district serving as key sites. The dedicated project team comprises Co-Principal Investigator Dr Surajit Giri, Project Scientist Dr Rafika Yasmin and Project Technical Assistants Partha Protim Boruah, Manjeet Neog, Sukanya Bhagawati and Aksheeta Sharma.
