New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday expressed hope that Indian society’s inherent strength of “sharing and caring” and the government’s measures would mitigate the sufferings of the most vulnerable sections of society, particularly the workers of the unorganised sectors and the destitutes.
The President exhorted Governors, LGs and Administrators to mobilise volunteers of Indian Red Cross society, voluntary and religious organisations to contain the menace at the earliest.
In today’s video-conference, 14 Governors and Delhi Lt Governor were shortlisted to share experiences in their territories as these areas were worst affected by the pandemic.
The video conference began with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari outlining measures initiated by the state administration to combat the pandemic.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan lauded the role of government, voluntary organisations, medical professionals, paramedics and the police to act in a coordinated manner to persuade people to maintain social distancing in Kerala.
He recited a couplet and said, “yun hi basabab na fira karo, kisi shaam ghar bhi raha karo”, which broadly translates to ‘Don’t roam around without any purpose, stay at home”) to emphasise the significance of social distancing. Further, 1,800 retired doctors and MBBS students in the state have enlisted with the State Government to volunteer with their services if the need arises.
Altogehter 375 psychologists have also been roped in to give advice to those who find quarantine a difficult phase in their lives. This is considered to be an innovative move in Kerala worth emulating for other states.
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala extolled the collective strength of the society to fight the menace. Almost 8,000 Red Cross Society volunteers in the State were working to spread awareness about the disease. Akshay Patra, a social organisation, is also actively involved in distributing food packets all over the state.
While Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narayan Arya said the state was fully prepared to meet all challenges, Delhi’s Lt Governor Anil Baijal said the State government and all other agencies were working in perfect coordination to enforce the lockdown and yet mitigate people’s problems.
He also pointed out that at the top level LG and Delhi CM were meeting daily to take stock of the situation. At district level, DC’s and DCP’s were coordinating moves to facilitate the relief work and educate people about social distancing.
Gujarat Governor Acharya Dev Vrat said that quarantine facilities in the State were being augmented. Social awakening programmes have been initiated through media to motivate people to follow guidelines. Gujarat’s cooperative spirit is invoked to launch concerted efforts by government, social and religious organisations, private sector, voluntary and cultural organisations to pool in their resources to meet the challenge.
