To be awarded with the most prestigious Padma Shri 2021, 4th highest civilian Award of India, Corona Warriors Mr. Jitender Singh Shunty (Founder- NGO Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal), and his son, Mr. JyotJeet (Internationally acclaimed Disaster Management Specialist & Chairperson- Disaster Management Cell, SBSSD), the Father-son duo, both were felicitated at the Indian Television Awards 2021, on 14th February 2021 at Prime Focus, Film City in Mumbai. They have rendered distinguished services during Covid-19 Pandemic as Corona Warriors, working in relief and rescue of the same, by providing much needed services such as Free Hearse Van Services for the Covid-19 Deceased patients, Free Ambulance Services for the Covid-19 suspects and patients and Free Cremation Services for the Deceased of Corona Disease. Till date they have transported and cremated above 966+ Covid-19 Positive Dead bodies, above 1244+ Covid Positive Patients, and have cremated over 384+ Corona Dead bodies that were unclaimed or where the families were Quarantined or under deep fear and could not perform the cremation. They are true Corona Warrior and Survivor and got infected with Corona with entire family down with the deadly virus, while doing the Sewa, hence putting their life in danger for the sake of humanity and Nation. Now during Covid-19 Vaccination Drive as well, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal’s Ambulances are deputed in the service of the Nation. Shunty and Jeet were felicitated at the Indian Television Awards 2021 for their out of the league humanitarian services for humankind.
Just aging 27 years, the Young and Dynamic Jyot Jeet, M.Sc. Disaster Management (England) is a renowned International Disaster Management Specialist and a Social Activist. He is chairperson of the Disaster Management Cell of NGO Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal. Specializing in the field of Disaster Management he has been extending Emergency Response Services and Humanitarian Relief during Emergencies and Disasters through his Disaster Management Cell. He has been working towards saving lives through promoting the availability, accessibility, and effectiveness of Emergency Services in India. A Corona Warrior and Survivor, leading from the front, doing the cremation of Covid Positive Dead bodies and Driving Ambulances himself to ferry Covid Patients to Hospitals. He is Committed towards generating awareness and developing a culture of Disaster Preparedness in India. He has developed and has been successfully running Emergency Services Project of AMBULANCE PILOT- an Escort Service to save lives by escorting Ambulances, Blood Donors, Organ transplant cases, etc. to medical facilities in order to save emergency response time of Patients that is often compromised as Ambulances get stuck often in Traffic Jams. Furthermore, #AmbulanceFirst and #ReserveLane4Ambulance are his campaigns to generate awareness among the general public to give way to Ambulance and Governments to reserve a lane for Ambulance during peak hours. These campaigns have garnered huge support of millions of people across various digital platforms.
Their NGO Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal has been providing several humanitarian services since 1997. He runs 24×7 FREE Ambulance Service in Delhi, which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. The range of patients includes cardiac-arrest cases, patients undergoing treatment, road-accidents, trauma-cases, etc. So far, he has transported more than 39,450+ patients and saved numerous lives.
They also have a fleet of hearse-vans which run free of cost to carry Corpses to cremation or burial grounds. More than 54,780+ dead bodies have been carried in these Hearse vans. They also help the poor and needy by free cremation service with all the dignity. They have helped with the Free cremation of 16,562+ dead bodies till date.
Founder of the NGO, Shunty has significant contribution in the field of voluntary Blood Donation. He himself has donated blood 102 times and has organized 150 Blood Donation Camps collecting and providing app. 22,120 units of blood to the needy, free of cost. His name is registered in The World Book of Records, London as the First Sikh in the World to achieve this feat.
In the field of Disaster Management, the NGO has a Disaster Management Cell under which various Emergency Response Teams effectively respond in emergencies providing Ambulance Services, Rescue Services, Medical Care, Free of Cost- Disaster relief and aid, Humanitarian Response- set up camps, provide food, aid and relief, camp management, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Services and a unique service of transporting and cremating dead-bodies of casualties that succumb to disaster. The NGO has worked at ground zero at various disaster sites including Gujarat Earthquake 2001, Nepal Earthquake 2015, Chennai Floods 2015, Kerala Floods 2018, etc.
Adding further to these services, Mr. Shunty and Mr. Jyotjeet provide the refrigerated mortuary box to people where the dead-body needs to be preserved for a short period of time (short-term preservation) before its cremation/burial. Mr. Shunty has provided this service for over 11,580+ corpses.
“I am humbled to be receiving this honor today. We at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal have been extending humanitarian services since the last two and half decades now and when Covid 19 struck, our teams had pre-decided to work more than ever because if we hadn’t rendered our services at the dire time when the Nation needed it, we could have never lived with a clean conscience. Now we can proudly say that our teams gave in their blood sweat and even life when one of our Ambulance Drivers died off Covid. We did all we could and it wasn’t any obligation but just the love for our Nation. If given an option, we could die for our Nation times and again. I am thankful to people who recognized out services and understood the value of the hardcore services our NGO has been doing.” Said Jitender Singh Shunty (Founder- SBSSD)
Mr. Jyot Jeet said “I believe that every life counts, and so we should prepare ourselves for Disasters and work on proactive stance by emphasizing Disaster Preparedness as it is the need of the hour. Rescuing piled up dead-bodies after a disaster can be prevented if we focus on preparedness right now. Focusing on dead bodies, I believe in Dignity not only in life but also in Death. It is the right of every person to die a dignified death as everybody deserves at least his last rites be respectfully performed. No one should be deprived of their last rites. Hence, we have been extending funeral services for Management of the dead performing their last rites of cremation/burial following religion specific customs and traditions.”