Malkangiri: A report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India, has lauded the Malkangiri district for its Covid-19 management, both during the first and second waves.
Malkangiri district, which is located in close proximity to both Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, became an entry point for several migrant workers returning back to the state during the initial phase of the lockdown.
The district officials used their new infrastructure to serve as institutional quarantine centres for migrants, the report said. The number of infected persons and the death toll continues to be less for which the district is in the green zone. Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik has also praised the district administration and its people for taking proper steps in containing the spread of the disease.
Notably, over 70,000 migrants entered Motu which is on the fringes of the district to reach their homes in the same district as well as in other districts and states during the first wave of the pandemic.
Among them many were infected with Covid for which the district administration conducted their health examination, provided them with food and kept them in quarantine after their arrival in Motu.
Later, the district administration made arrangements to send them back to their homes in various districts in Odisha and other states. The district administration involved the media and civil society and conducted awareness programmes about the disease in the remote areas apart from distributing masks and food packets among the people.
Over 30,000 migrants entered the district through Motu during the second wave of the pandemic for which the district administration adopted similar methods to contain the spread of the disease. The district administration still continues with its programme in Swabhiman Anchal, Bondaghat, areas bordering Chhattisgarh and in remote areas for which the district has been able to remain in the green zone.
The report lauded the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) as “a very successful model of local area development” that should serve as a best practice for several other countries where regional disparities in development status persist for many reasons.
The ADP was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, 2018 as a part of the government’s efforts to raise the living standards of its citizens and ensure inclusive growth for all.
PNN