By Press Information Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged the Governors & Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of the States & Union Territories to enhance awareness among the public, encourage the civil society organizations and guide the private sector to partner with the government in the fight against the COVID-19.
Interacting with the Governors & Lieutenant Governors of the States & Union Territories during a video conference called by the President of India, Ramnath Kovind, the Vice President observed that as first citizens of their respective States, they were in a unique position to play a very creative role in this moment of national crisis by motivating and guiding their respective States and UTs.
“Your leadership is crucial and your guidance, facilitation and motivating ability can be most valuable,” he said. Naidu wanted the Governors & Lieutenant Governors to motivate new partners such as at Universities, Kendriya Vidyalaya’s, other educational institutions and religious bodies to contribute to this urgent cause by freeing up spaces to allocate space for isolation wards for COVID-19 patients.
As chancellors of various universities, Naidu wanted them to explore the possibility of conducting online classes to complete the curriculum and ensure academic schedule was not disturbed.He appealed to private hospitals to earmark some beds for COVID-19 patients and urged civil society organizations including the Red Cross to take up humanitarian assistance activities for the poor, elderly and sick members of our population.
Lauding the efforts of the Union and State Governments, the Vice President stressed for adopting a Team India spirit in this hour of crisis.Highlighting the importance of social distancing to break the cycle of transmission, the Vice President reminded the governors about the Prime Minister’s exhortation to stay home – “If you step out, Corona will come in”.
The Vice President also urged the Governors and Lt Governors to involve religious and spiritual leaders, film and sports celebrities as also well known public personalities including literary giants in various languages and artistes to promote awareness to combat COVID-19.Naidu also urged the private sector which has infrastructure and resources to play a more proactive role in supplementing efforts of government and mitigate the hardship faced by people.
Appreciating media for playing their role quite effectively in disseminating the crucial health messages, the Vice President said that it is important that authentic information is provided to the people.
Stating that the lockdown could have its economic impact on the people who were at the bottom of our social pyramid, the Vice President welcomed the Government of India’s announcement of a package of relief measures to mitigate the hardship to people and health workers.
He urged the central and state authorities to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential items such as Milk, Fruits and Vegetables and other Farm Produce in all localities.Observing that people’s cooperation was very crucial in battling the spread of COVID-19, the Vice President appealed to all the citizens to adhere to the precautionary guidelines set by the governments. He advised them to spend time in various enriching activities like reading books, practising meditation and Yoga, apart from spending time with children and elders in the family.
The Governors of Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Lt. Governor of Delhi and the Administrator of Chandigarh, and others participated in the Video Conference.
