Odisha CM approves Rs 200 cr package for poor affected due to coronavirus

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday approved a special assistance package of Rs 200 crore for the poor and extremely poor families in the State affected due to COVID-19 pandemic

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday approved a special assistance package of Rs 200 crore for the poor and extremely poor families in the State affected due to COVID-19 pandemic. Patnaik approved the package while reviewing the COVID-19 situation and its management in the state with senior government officials and Collectors through Video Conferencing.

“Chief Minister Patnaik emphasizing upon the revival of the rural economy, approved a special assistance package of Rs 200 crore for the poor and extremely poor families in the State affected due to COVID-19 pandemic. The special package will help the development of livelihood activities of rural poor, very poor and the migrants,” said an official release.

“Members of the Women Self Help Groups can revive their family enterprises through this package. It will also benefit rural, nano and micro-enterprises; skilled and semi-skilled migrant returnees and producer and enterpriser groups engaged in the agricultural and non-agricultural sector,” it added. Emphasizing upon reviving the rural economy, Chief Minister directed to provide more credit facilities in MSME, agriculture, fisheries and animal resources. He also directed to provide subsidised loans for small business activities to be undertaken by Women Self Help Groups…Read Full Story

Govt identifies 170 districts in India as hotspots, 207 potential hotspots

The officials said that health facilities in a buffer zone outside the containment zones will be oriented and people facing SARI and influenza-like symptoms will be tested there

The Union Health Ministry has identified 170 districts as Covid-19 hotspots and 207 districts as potential hotspots, officials said on Wednesday, reiterating that there has been no community transmission of the disease in the country so far.

Addressing the daily briefing on coronavirus situation in the country, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said that states have been asked to classify districts which have reported a higher number of cases as hotspots, the districts where cases have been reported as non-hotspots, and green zones where no cases have been reported. “Hotspots are those districts which are reporting more number of cases or where the rate of growth of Covid-19 cases is high,” Agarwal said, adding a detailed direction has been issued to states stating consolidated efforts are required to utilise this period of lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

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“Cabinet secretary held a video conference today with all chief secretaries, DGPs, health secretaries, collectors, SPs, municipal commissioners and CMOs where hotspots were discussed and orientation on field level implementation of containment strategy was given.”

“They were told about large outbreak containment strategies, cluster containment strategies. Delineation of buffer and containment zone, parameter mapping, defining of entry and exit points were also discussed in detail,” he said. The joint secretary said movement of people will not be allowed in containment zones except for those related with essential services and special teams will search for new cases and samples will be collected and tested as per sampling criteria.