PM lauds three J&K Covid warriors in ‘Mann ki Baat’

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 26

This Sunday’s “Mann ki Baat” programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi revolved around Jammu and Kashmir that began with his homage to Kargil heroes who had achieved glory in the Kargil war.

Modi, who was the BJP in charge of J&K in July 1999, had visited Kargil to show his solidarity with the soldiers when the war was drawing to a close. He then went on to laud efforts of three men and women in their efforts to combat coronavirus.

He narrated three stories of Covid warriors one by one and spotlighted their individual heroism that benefited society at large and hailed them as a beacon of hope and promise. First, he spoke of sarpanch Babir Kaur of Treva village in Jammu who, he said, had got a 30-bed quarantine centre constructed in her panchayat. She had also made arrangements for the availability of water on roads leading to the panchayat. She ensured that people did not have to face any problem with washing hands. Not just that, Balbir Kaur ji also slung a spray pump on her shoulder and embarked upon the sanitisation of the entire panchayat and its neighbourhood along with volunteers.

Next on his list was Kashmiri woman sarpanch, Zaitoona Begum of Chauntliwaar, Ganderbal. “Zaitoona Begum decided that her panchayat would fight the battle against Covid and along with that create income opportunities. She distributed masks and ration free of cost in her neighbourhood. At the same, time she distributed crop seeds and apple saplings so that people were not subjected to inconvenience in farming and horticulture,” the PM said appreciating her efforts.

Describing Mohammad Iqbal, the municipal president of Anantnag, as another story of inspiration, the PM recalled that this elected representative required a sprayer for sanitisation of his area. He was informed that the machine would have to be brought from another town at a cost of Rs 6 lakh.At this Iqbal, on his own, designed and made a sprayer machine at a cost of Rs 50,000.