The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) is launching awareness initiatives to help Gram Panchayats across India to monitor migrants returning from the cities. The initiative is aimed at helping migrants and ensure that they are adequately screened for COVID-19 infection, and quarantined where necessary, a statement from the Institute said.
Another major objective of this initiative is to support Gram Panchayats and other Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) functionaries to take care of the citizens in their communities by providing IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material for awareness campaigns against COVID-19.
The NIRDPR is an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Rural Development, is a premier National Centre of Excellence.
The material would create awareness about safety measures such as regular washing of hands, maintaining social distancing and other directives issued by the Union Health Ministry and respective State Health Departments.
In addition, these initiatives are also geared towards ensuring that no person goes hungry, irrespective of their socio-economic background, the Institute said.
Emphasizing the need for local self-governments to rise up to the occasion, Dr WR Reddy IAS, Director General, NIRDPR, said "As part of the constitutional mandate, the Panchayats are familiar with the preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP). The GPDP has been an important element of 'low cost' or 'no cost' development initiatives which have transformed many Panchayats into progressive developed islands across the country. The present crisis of Covid-19 can be tackled by such measures using sheer imagination and passionate leadership of the Gram Panchayats."
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