Odisha to build memorial to honour fallen Covid warriors

More than 60 Covid warriors including health workers in Odisha have succumbed to coronavirus.

Published on: Feb 8, 2021, 23:57:33 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government said Monday that it will construct Covid Warrior Memorial at a public park in Bhubaneswar in recognition of the sacrifice and services of Covid warriors.

A health worker collects swab samples of a policeman for Covid-19 test in Bhubaneswar. (ANI FILE)

“Covid-19 is once in a century pandemic. In order to keep it in the memory of people as well as to recognise the sacrifice and services rendered by the Covid warriors who have lost their lives fighting the pandemic, the government has decided to construct a Covid Warrior Memorial,” wrote additional chief secretary of health department, PK Mohapatra said.

According to the decision, the state government would build the Covid memorial at the Biju Patnaik Park in Bhubaneswar. More than 60 Covid warriors including health workers in Odisha have succumbed to coronavirus. 19.

The state government plans to inaugurate the memorial on August 15 this year.

Last year, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced that the martyr status would be accorded to all health personnel and other support services who succumbed to Covid19. The state government also announced ₹50 lakh ex-gratia to all health personnel (private and public) and members of all other support services who died of Covid-19.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More