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Gram panchayats asked to play active role to stop Covid-19 spread
There are over 250,000 gram panchayats across the country, according to the Union ministry of Panchayati Raj. Each gram panchayat consists of a village or a group of villages divided into smaller units called wards.
The Union government has asked the over 250,000 gram panchayats to play an active role in staunching the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and identify residents of their areas who may have come in contact with Tablighi Jamaat members who attended a March congregation of the Islamic missionary group in New Delhi, people aware of the development said.
“These elected representatives are the first point of contact for villagers because they are familiar with the specific problems of each household. It has been decided to use state and central funds to engage these representatives to fight the crisis,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
Tablighi Jamaat members from all over India and its followers from overseas took part in the congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin in mid-March and then fanned across the country. The building where the congregation took place has become a hotspot of coronavirus infections in India.
The government has begun aggressively tracing people with a history of contact with participants in the Jamaat congregation who have tested Covid-19 positive to date.
While states have been put on a status of high alert, gram panchayats have been asked to step up monitoring and report anyone who could had come in contact with participants in the Jamaat gathering.
Gram panchayats in each state have also been given specific tasks such as creating awareness of the disease and monitoring the home quarantine of those at risk of catching the infection, said a person aware of the development.
There are over 250,000 gram panchayats across the country, according to the Union ministry of Panchayati Raj. Each gram panchayat consists of a village or a group of villages divided into smaller units called wards.
“Tracing people with any contact or travel history has become an imperative as a large number of people have moved across states after attending the Jamaat meet. Preventing the spread of the virus to rural and semi-urban areas is critical. We are urging the gram panchayats to report cases as well as keep a strict vigil over those who are in quarantine. In many villages, there are community quarantine facilities,” said the official cited above.
For instance, in Jharkhand, gram panchayats have been asked to disseminate awareness through wall paintings and set up isolation wards to treat migrants. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, anganwadi (women and child welfare centres) workers have been supplying food to 41 children and six pregnant women.
In eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district, gram panchayats have been pressed into service to reach out to the Mahadalit communities such as Musahars and Vantangiyas.
In West Bengal, gram panchayat members are involved in making and distributing personal protective equipment ( such as masks and sanitisers. Vehicles meant for the community area development programme are being used to sell fresh vegetables, fruits and fish to the villagers.
