Started in 1905, Rotary today is a world wide organisation with a strength of over one million members serving through over 22,500 Rotary Clubs functioning in 161 countries. Rotary clubs serve through the four avenues of Rotary Service - club service; community service; vacoational sevice; and international sevice. Each year each club seeks to take up balanced service activities in all these four avenues. Over the years world peace has been a major concern of Rotary International and many programmes have been devised to help improve relations amongst people all over the world. Rotary realises that regional peace is the stpping stone towards global peace. This understanding led to the concept of Regional Conferences being held in diferent parts of the world at different times. It is in this context that Rotary is holding its Asia Regional Conference in New Delhi from October 12-15, 1987. Last time such a conference was held in India in 1958.

In the intervenning period a special conference dedicated to the furthurance of good relations amongst South Asian countries was held in 1982. The current Asia Regional Conference will draw visitors from all the Asian Countries and will go a long way in furthering amity and goodwill in this part of the world. Rotary has taken up a global programme in which it has committed itself and its resources to the eradication of vaccine-preventable deseases. This programme is caled "POLIOPLUS". In this programme Rotary has undertaken to provide oral polio vaccine for any nationally approved Immunisation programmes for a period of five consecutive years.

Using the Polio vaccine as a "Spearhead", Rotary is encouraging Governments to take up the task of eradicating the other deseases such as Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Measles and Tuberculosis covered under the POLIOPLUS Programme. Through this gigantic task, estimated to involve an outlay equivalent to US Dollars 120 million in the purchase of oral polio vaccine alone. Rotary is committed to secure the healthy future for the children of the world.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India