Samalkha (Haryana), March 15 A three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh concluded here on Sunday with a resolve to expand organizational work, encourage active participation of "positive forces" in the national interest, and strengthen social harmony.
On the final day of the meeting, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said there has been a significant expansion in organizational work over the past year.
The number of 'Sangh shakhas' has increased by nearly 6,000 and has now crossed 88,000, he said.
The number of places where 'shakhas' are conducted has grown to more than 55,000. The number of 'saptahik milans' and 'mandalis' has also increased, he said.
Hosabale said that organizational expansion should also be viewed in terms of the Sangh's presence in regions such as Andaman, Arunachal Pradesh, Leh, and remote tribal areas, where 'shakhas' are now being conducted.
In Andaman, more than 13,000 people from nine islands participated in a 'Hindu Sammelan', which was attended by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.
Similarly, in a state like Arunachal Pradesh, which has a low population density, more than 37,000 people took part in 21 'Swadharma Sammelans', he said.
Hosabale said the Sangh is continuously working to enhance "quality" of society through the concept of 'Panch Parivartan'.
He said being an Indian or Hindu is not merely an idea but a "way of life".
Hosabale said society should accept the contributions of great personalities by rising above divisions of caste and sect.
In this direction, he said, Sangh volunteers organised more than 2,000 programmes across the country on the occasion of the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, in which over 7 lakh people participated.
He said similar programmes are being planned for the coming year to mark the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Ravidas Ji.
In the coming year, Hosabale said a total of 96 training camps will be organised, including camps in 11 regions and one in Nagpur.