Hyderabad: NIRDPR to raise awareness on Covid

Hyderabad: In a bid to create awareness for the Gram Panchayats across the country the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) has launched awareness initiatives to monitor migrants returning from the cities to their respective villages. The objective of the measure is to help migrants and ensure that they are adequately screened for Covid-19 infection and quarantined wherever necessary.

Another major objective of this NIRDPR initiative is to support Gram Panchayats and other Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) functionaries to take care of the citizens in their communities by providing IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material for awareness campaigns against Covid-19.

The campaign focuses on safety measures such as regular washing of hands, maintaining social distancing and other directives issued by the Union Health Ministry and respective State Health Departments. Also, these initiatives are geared towards ensuring that no person goes hungry, irrespective of their socio-economic background.

Dr W R Reddy, Director General, NIRDPR, said on Monday "There could be many households in each Panchayat area where the migrant families have come back from urban centres would lack any resources for sustenance for this long period, as their livelihoods may depend on daily earnings. We need to focus on them too," added Dr Reddy, while pointing out that a system has to be created, where all needy families have to be provided with food or rations for their sustenance.

The campaign will be rolled out through the NIRDPR newly launched Learning Management Portal 'Gram Swaraj' for the benefit of PRI representatives on how to gear up on how to monitor migrant workers with travel history from abroad or returned from the cities. Besides, surveillance and timely reach of medical and health services in case of any corona positive cases are found.

The campaign course covers basic information about Corona Virus, its outbreak, symptoms, prevention, management and all advisory from Government of India. Also, another module on the "Role of Gram Panchayats in Corona Virus Prevention and Management – key guidelines from some states, suggested measures from NIRDPR and few Sarpanch videos will be made available under this course."

Some of these measures suggested by NIRDPR include identifying five to six courageous and dedicated volunteers from among the rural youths, clubs, SHGs, NGOs, voluntary organisations to work in every ward under the leadership of the Ward member or any other person to be nominated by the Gram Panchayat in his absence.