Yogi Adityanath Ji and his team have left no stone unturned to prevent their citizens.
The real capacity and commitment of a government to go to the brim to serve its citizens are tested during unforeseen natural calamities like COVID–19. The whole world, from the strongest to third world countries are trying to get over this epidemic. India with its 130 crores plus population and with its extremely limited resources and medical support is also trying to prevent itself from the epidemic. PM Narendra Modi has emerged as a global leader and as a person who is keeping the welfare of its citizens before anything, the whole country is in shutdown mode, the economy is posing its own challenges, but it seems like Mr. Modi and his government has taken their lesson from the situation of developed economies, that “Prevention is always better than cure” and the saying becomes much more relevant in the case of COVID-19. Amid all these, a state which has emerged as a role model for the preventive and counteracting measure, which are been taken to cope the calamity is Uttar Pradesh. Despite being the most populated state, Yogi Adityanath Ji and his team have left no stone unturned to prevent their citizens. The planning and management of the disaster are emerging as an impactful model which would be studied as a success case study of disaster management in many educational and corporate dossier. Let’s have a step by step look up at the actions and its outcomes.
The government has also transferred a total sum of the amount 611 crore directly to the account of 27 lakh 50 thousand registered MGNREGA laborers, Chief Minister is also in direct contact with the poor strata through web conferencing and other media.
Assessment of the challenge
The preventive decision of 21 days lockdown was an effective measure taken by the government as it stopped community spread to a great extent, because of which even with a population of 130 plus crore, we succeed in limiting the numbers of infection. But the lockdown came up with many challenges about the arrangement of resources and ensuring the logistics and fair and easy availability of essentials and medical supplies. People from the lower strata of the society are the worst sufferer of the lockdown as the main source of their livelihood is the money they get in lieu of their daily labour, lockdown stopped their earning thus posing a great challenge to the government to ensure their survival.
Uttar Pradesh being the most populated state, is the first to get the blow. Even middle and higher-income families need to be supplied with the essential items so that the effectiveness of lockdown can be ensured. Stopping black marketing of goods, to stop unnatural price hike and building a strong administrative structure to implement all this was quite a big challenge for Yogi Ji. These are just the complimentary challenges that came along with the adversity of the Coronavirus.
This was not the end of the challenges, more was about to outcome. The action was taken by neighboring states flooded the state with the laborers, who were returning back to their home from various states across the country, despite the request made by the PM to stay where they are. Maybe this can also be because of the hidden fear and nervousness about the future.
Welfare of the bottom of pyramid
Yogi Ji’s government has taken unprecedented measures and is continuously monitoring and evaluating them to ensure the wellbeing of the people who need support the biggest at this moment. The monthly quota of food items i.e. 20 kg of wheat and 15 kg of rice per family is being distributed free of cost to the 1,65,31,000 laborers from the public distribution system, incurring an expense of 64.50 crores. Administration is continuously monitoring that the distribution is just and fair. Not only this has, an amount of rupees 1000 is been granted to 20, 37,000 registered laborers to ensure their wellbeing. Uttar Pradesh is the first step to take such steps. In addition, the government has also transferred a total sum of amount 611 crores directly to the account of 27 lakh 50 thousand registered MGNREGA laborers, Chief Minister is also in direct contact with the poor strata through web conferencing and other media. In addition, many community kitchens are established to give food to the poor completely free of cost. Pensioners have been given advance pension of two months, which includes 46, 97,000 old aged pensioners, 10, 76,000 disability pensioners and 26, 10, 000 widow pensioners.
More than 6000 isolation beds have been established and the government is in regular pursuit to establish more than 15000 thousand beds as soon as possible.
In addition to all this measure taken by the state government, the chief minister is also continuously appealing people to help needy around them and not to cut their monthly wages even if they are not able to do their job in the lockdown. Such a generous appeal, long lives our Yogi Ji.
Supply of home essentials
Administration of all the states has been advised to keep a check on the supply of essential items to avoid black marketing anywhere in the supply chain. Suppliers of basic food items like milk, vegetables are being allowed to move in shutdown. Mobile milk vans are being arranged for the supply of milk to various localities. Supermarkets like Spencer, Big Bazaar, Big Basket, Swiggy, Zomato, etc; are being roped in for areawise delivery of groceries. Local groceries and provisional stores are allowed to open with an instruction to maintain social distance. Banks are operating as normal, medicine related centers are operating as normal. Police and administration has been instructed to educate people about the benefits of social distancing and prevent gathering.
Every minute steps to ensure a comfortable stay of citizens during lockdown is been taken and continuously monitored to make required amendments as per the need. Yogi Ji himself is on continuously on move to see the arrangements by himself and keep the workforce motivated.
To defeat COVID-19
More than 6000 isolation beds have been established and the government is in regular pursuit to establish more than 15000 thousand beds as soon as possible. All Primary health centers, community health centers, district hospitals and super-specialty facilities like BHU, SGPGI, KGMU, etc are being prepared to deal with the suspected cases. The treatment will be given free of cost in these centers, adding that emergency services in hospitals will continue as usual. Health ministry has floated a helpline number 18001805145 for COVID-19. Identification and isolation of Corona patients is being done with prompt priorities. People coming from other states and countries are being quarantined for the security of others. Administration is prompt in making people follow the social distancing.
Keeping in focus the demography and awareness of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Ji and his administration are doing an outstanding job in curbing the spread of Corona. Now it is our turn to comply and assist the government in defeating the virus.
Challenge from transit labourers
As the outcome of the misconduct done by the Delhi government, lakhs of labourers working in Delhi-NCR started moving back to UP and Bihar. It presented a two-faced challenge to the government. The first was to identify and isolate infected patients to prevent community spread and second was to arrange commutation facilities for the labourers. Yogi government instantly reacted to the situation by posting a group of doctors and supporting staff at the border for quarantine and a fleet of around 1000 buses, this all was done within the timeframe of a day. People keep on talking and states kept blaming each other for the chaos whereas yogi Ji silently delivered the task, this shows how dedicated he is towards his citizen and how efficient administrator he is. Recently ‘Hotspot’ and ‘Agra’ model is trending in media, social media appreciated by the Ministry of Health, Government of India as well.
The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has proven that if sympathy is at the core of deed and if it is followed by proper planning, hard work in implementation, monitoring and review, any circumstance can be controlled and cured. Good job Yogi Ji, the state is looking at you for curbing and curing this epidemic. The job is not yet finished but we have a firm belief that under your supervision state will leave no stone unturned for the welfare of its people.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
Dr. Kunwar Pushpendra Pratap Singh was born in Varanasi. He completed his Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He is interested on issues related with the mass media, Hinduism, Pan-Indianism as well as the international relations. He keeps an eye on the developing Indo-Nepal relations. He has more than 15 papers published in National and International Journals and has Participated and Presented Papers in International and National Conferences, was Member of Organizing Committee of International, National and state level seminars, conferences and workshops conducted by Centre for the Study of Nepal, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh . He lives at the holy city Varanasi, India.
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It is very nice article, a contemporary one. Lots of facts and figures are provided and the initiatives of the state are presented very well.
The article is vry generic
Not at all, please read carefully