Punjab to engage 'youth' to fight Covid under Mission Fateh 2.0

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 27

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday rolled out a new initiative, involving youth, to take forward the state’s Mission Fateh 2.0 as part of the ‘Corona Mukt Punjab Abhiyan’ (Covid-free Punjab Campaign), with directions to form groups of seven Rural Corona Volunteers (RCVs) per village or municipal ward as a cadre to fight the pandemic.

With the villages more badly affected in the second wave of Covid, it was important to drive a strong campaign for “Corona Mukt Pind”, he said, directing the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs and DCs to immediately form such RCVs to be the torchbearers in the war against the contagion. Existing clubs can also become RCVs, he said, adding that these could work as a powerful support system for the Panchayats and Municipalities in the war against COVID.

Interacting with youth from rural and urban areas through video conferencing, the Chief Minister said as a result of the support of the people, the number of cases in the state had come down from around 9,000 to over 4,000 in a matter of about three weeks. But given the impact on rural areas this time, the situation continues to be grave, he said.

The Chief Minister tasked the RCVs with carrying forward the 3Ts drive (Test, Trace and Treat), taking care of poor and elderly and connecting them to the Covid Control Rooms and helplines, conducting

Theekri Pehras in all villages, promoting Covid appropriate behaviour, assisting villagers in accessing adequate healthcare, discouraging Quacks, encouraging download of COVA App, besides preparing and displaying banners and pamphlets.

The youth could play a big role also in countering rumours and false propaganda on social media, he said, adding that the state government will extend full support to them to fight the pandemic “and save Punjab together.” He also urged the RCVs to spread awareness among the people in rural areas on the proper protocols to be followed for Covid treatment, given the spread of black/white fungus due to the high usage of steroids.

The Chief Minister announced that beginning today, the Department of Youth Affairs has started distributing 1 Lakh Badges and 4 Lakh Car Stickers carrying the message “I AM VACCINATED”, and urged the RCVs to encourage people to flaunt their Vaccination Status. It will display the spread of our vaccination coverage and motivate others too, he added.

As a reward for their participation in the war against Corona, every RCV will be given a Sports Kit, to be distributed on August 12 (International Youth Day), said the Chief Minister, directing the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs to immediately commence the procurement of 15,000 kits.

While expressing the hope that Mission 2.0 would be the last battle in the war against Covid, the Chief Minister, however, underlined the need to be prepared for a third wave. Drawing an analogy with the Army, he said “the enemy should never be considered weak, and we should be prepared to fight.”

Expressing concern over vaccine shortage, the Chief Minister said the state government was trying to procure vaccines from all possible sources to meet the sudden demand as more and more people were realising that this was the only protection against the pandemic, especially given the fast-spreading strain that originated in the UK.