Elected local body representatives essential for preventing Corona: Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy

Amaravati: Tackling coronavirus needs social action in the form of advocacy, awareness and community activity, besides individual care and personal hygiene.

Elected representatives of local bodies can be very effective in this endeavour. The efforts of the elected representatives can be supplemented by Government officials and health functionaries, observed Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development in a press note issued on Monday. He reacted on the postponement of the local body elections.

Identification of Corona cases, home isolation as well as creating awareness till the grass-root level, can be done effectively by elected representatives of local bodies like ZPTC, MPTC, Grama Sarpanch, ward members and Municipal Chairmen and councillors, he hoped.

Ramachandra Reddy further felt that unlike MPs and MLAs the constituency of ward members or village secretaries is limited both geographically and population-wise and hence they would be in a better position to know each and every person of their respective areas.

Further people residing in a particular ward or area would also know their representative personally. They would inspire confidence and their word would carry more weight. That was very essential to identify, isolate corona victims and create awareness about health and hygiene protocols to be adopted to counter and contain the virus, he informed.

Thus, the local body representatives can very well act as a bridge between health officials and people of his constituency.