Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister has asked the MLAs to join in the fight agaist Covid-02.
Addressing the all party meeting convened by the State assembly speaker on Monday, Patnaik urged the MLAs to spread the awareness among the people to follow the Covid-19 protocols as lockdown is not the solution. He said, ” I sincerely appeal to the MLAs to take this message to the people. As representatives, you have a large influence on the public mind and please educate them on following the Covid appropriate behaviour. The government will allow expenditure from MLALADS up to Rs 50 lakhs for assisting in activities related to covid management, including procurement of masks from Mission Shakti groups to provide for poor people.”
Patnaik announced that the family members of persons succumbed to Covid-19 virus would covered under pension scheme.
“We intend to provide a healing touch to such Covid affected families by continuing to cover the widows and orphan children under the Madhubabu Pension Yojana. The children will also get free education facilitie.”
Patnaik cautioned that many more Covid waves may come and the people of the State must be prepared to fight it out.
“It is expected that there will be more waves of this virus infection. We have to be prepared for the long-drawn battle. Vaccination is our main strategy to fight the virus. In view of the vaccine supply issues in the country, we have floated a global tender to try and procure quickly the vaccines to protect our people. We have also formed a high-level advisory committee to guide the State in its fight against the virus.”
Stating that the community involvement has been one of the main pillars of State’s Covid management, the chief minister said, “The Gram Panchayats, Gaon Kalyan Samitis and Sarpanchs have been involved since the beginning. The grassroots workers like ANMs, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and organisations like Mission Shakthi groups have been intensively utilized for providing the services to the people.
A 3- month house-to-house survey (for Covid symptoms and co-morbid conditions) by ASHAs and AWWs will be launched beginning 24th May, for which they will be given an additional incentive of Rs 1000 per month for these 3 months.”
Gaon Kalyan Samitis are at the cutting edge of our outreach and they are there in almost every village. An amount of Rs 10,000 per GKS will be sanctioned for undertaking Covid related activities at village level involving the community.
As ASHAs monitor home isolation cases, they will be provided one time assistance of Rs.10,000 for bicycle, cupboard, slippers, umbrella and torch.
Sarpanchs continue to have the powers of district collectors in enforcing lockdown etc. and they are free to start TMCs based on need and inflow of people from outside. To start with, the State has started functioning zonal TMCs as flow of people from outside is very less compared to last year.
