Fight against Corona: Steps taken by Odisha are appreciated in the NITI Ayog report

New Delhi(Kalinga Voice) : The compendium of practices from States & Union Territories on COVID-19 control & management was released by NITIAayog today. NITI Aayog Member Dr. VK Paul, CEO Amitabh Kant, Additional Secretary Dr. Rakesh Sarwal & Policy Specialist Urvashi Prasad were present on the occasion. In this report, the notable steps taken by various states during Covid pandemic are mentioned with praise . The praiseworthy steps taken by the Odisha government on boosting health infrastructure, awareness creation, capacity building, for the welfare of the migrant workers and other vulnerable groups, and other innovative practices to fight the pandemic are appreciated in this report of NITI Ayoga .

.Regarding boosting of Health Infrastructure report says , Odisha Government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with two private hospitals for establishing Dedicated COVID Hospitals. The facilities were set up using Corporate Social Responsibility funds of the Odisha Mining Corporation, in collaboration with private hospitals. A collaborative approach with the private sector enabled Odisha to become one of the first States in the country to have a Dedicated COVID Hospital in each of its Districts before end-April, 2020.

“Regarding Awareness Creation the Odisha government organized an online competition ‘Mo Pratibha’, with different categories such as art, painting, slogan writing, poster making, short stories and poetry for keeping children engaged during the COVID period as well as for creating awareness” says the report .

The reports appreciated the steps taken by odisha government for capacity building. Odisha government has taken several steps during the pandemic. For boosting the morale of health personnel, Odisha announced that that payment of 4 months’ salary for doctors, nurses and paramedical staff will be made in advance. The Chief Minister personally appealed to
citizens to deal respectfully with health professionals and warned that any instances of misbehaviour would attract a penalty. Further, a sum of Rs. 50 Lakh, was announced as compensation for any health worker who unfortunately loses his or her life in the line of duty. Media personnel covering COVID were also provided with a similar risk cover of Rs. 15 Lakh in case of loss of life.

NITI Ayoga too appreciates the steps taken by the state government for the welfare welfare of the migrant workers and other vulnerable groups. The Government of Odisha has taken several steps . Odisha was the first State in India to announce that it will take care of migrant workers from other States and provide services free of cost during COVID-19. Odisha estimated that around 5 Lakh migrant workers stranded in various parts of the country will return to the State after the lockdown. To address this challenge, the State Government assigned senior I.A.S officers to all
Districts as observers for facilitating the care and management of laborers upon their return to the State. Crucially, the State activated its Panchayati Raj Institutions and engaged with Sarpanchs in the planning
process. Around 6,700 Sarpanchs took an oath to take care of migrant laborers upon their return to the State. Community-based monitoring was carried out by Gram Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies. Powers of the
District Collectors were delegated to the Sarpanch in Gram Panchayats within their jurisdiction. Returnees to the State as well as their friends and relatives were required to register with the Gram Panchayat.
Quarantine facilities were provided free of cost for a period of 14 days. Upon completion of the requisite quarantine period, returnees were offered an incentive of Rs. 2000. Local communities were engaged to facilitate the identification of returnees who had not registered with a Panchayat-level quarantine facility. Further, a toll-free number 104 and a web portal were launched for the registration of travellers from the State, within 24 hours of their return. Following registration, individuals were contacted by Government officials for detailed enquiries and medical examination, if necessary. A cash incentive of Rs. 15,000, along with medical care, was also announced for individuals in home quarantine.Report on Mitigation and Management of COVID-19 . In order to address the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society in the areas of food security and social welfare, a comprehensive package of Rs. 2,200 Crore was announced by the State Government. This included measures such as the distribution of rice for a three-month period and payment of pension under various social security schemes, in advance, as well as financial assistance for construction workers.

” A large-scale Urban Wage Employment Initiative to the tune of Rs. 100 Crore was also launched with the objective of generating employment for at least 4.5 Lakh urban poor families across 114 Urban Local Bodies
(ULBs). Further, a provision of agricultural loans was made for marginal and small farmers, in particular, and the loan amount was transferred directly to their bank accounts” says the report .

Regarding other innovative practices of odisha NITI Ayoga has praised the active involvement of the SHG Women in the fight against Covid 19 . Over 1,300 Self-Help Groups have helped implement the ‘Mo Jeevan’ pledge to all habitations across the State educating over 1.5 Crore people about public health and hygiene measures. SHGs have also been involved with manufacturing masks using their tailoring equipment. Over 65 Lakh
reusable face masks were produced manufactured and sold at nominal prices to frontline workers. At least 300,000 masks were additionally distributed free of cost by to the poor and vulnerable. Further, over 7,300
SHGs were involved with kitchen management and provided over 1.9 Crore meals in rural and urban areas during the lockdown period. Nearly 600 SHGs helped to establish dry rations, vegetables and fruit shops across the State which catered to the needs of around 400,000 households. In close collaboration with the District Administration, over 500 SHGs procured surplus vegetables from 1,500 farmers for onward trading in local markets and supply to free kitchens managed by SHGs.