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MANGALURU: A team of experts from Rashtriya Life Saving Society India (RLSSI) and Varanashi Development and Research Foundation (VDRF) will be visiting Ballari to train 375 youths as part of a 15-day aquatic safety and rescue demo workshop. The youths will be selected through the gram panchayats, from the areas that witnessed floods last year.

Partha Varanashi, head, VDRF told TOI, “The programme will be launched by the Ballari district administration in an attempt to train youth in flood relief. Last year, several areas in the district were affected due to floods, and with the support of the then deputy commissioner S S Nakul, the training programme was planned.”

The four-member expert team to conduct the demo workshop, include Partha, Niroop Kotian, Rohith P and Trishul. The youth will be taught all aspects of aquatic safety and rescue, including aquatic breathing, awareness, assessment and action and after-care, in addition to seven different types of rescue. The practical sessions will be held at the Tungabhadra River basin.

“We hope to extend this training programme to other flood-hit states of North Karnataka,” said Partha. Four years ago, the team had trained lifeguards of Uttara Kannada district. Meanwhile, the team has been conducting free surf life-saving workshops at Tannirbhavi Beach every Sunday. About 70 people attend these sessions every week.

M’luru youth appointed to int’l panel

Rohith P from Mangaluru, along with Yashraj Tarkar from Maharashtra, have been appointed to the Royal Life Saving Sports Development Committee, which is a Commonwealth position. Rohith started his career as a volunteer in 2015. He was part of a government project, and trained 100 children in Udupi. In 2016, he was selected to represent the state as team manager for Rescue India, a national championship, and had taken a team of five swimmers for the National Rescue India Championship. He represented the state team as a coach for Rescue India 2017 at Goa, and Indore the next year. He was the team manager for the World Life Saving Championship held in Adelaide, Australia, in 2018 and had been to Leeds, London, for the Commonwealth Festival of Lifesaving Sports in 2019.