President Ram Nath Kovind flags off trucks carrying relief material for Assam, Bihar and UP
In the wake of the worsening flood situation and coronavirus crisis, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday flagged off nine trucks with Red Cross relief supplies for the flood-affected people of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The relief material include tarpaulins, tents, clothes, blankets, kitchen utensils, mosquito nets, bed sheets, buckets and two water purification units, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement.
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted pictures and a video of the trucks carrying relief material. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was also present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the trucks took off.
Along with flood relief items, COVID-19 protection kits such as surgical masks, gloves and face shields were also sent for the health workers who are battling in the frontlines amid the pandemic.
These relief material for the flood-affected people of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh shall be carried from Delhi to the states by train. The state Red Cross branches will receive them for further distribution in the interiors.
The flood situation in Assam and Bihar has been deteriorating over the last couple of weeks as the rivers in these two states are in spate following heavy rain in the catchment areas. More rain is expected in the two states for the next four days, the weather office said.
The three states of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have also seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases. While UP is at number six on the list of positive cases, Bihar is at seven and Assam at nine as of today. India has 12,87,945 COVID-19 cases, over 30,600 people have died and 8,17,209 have recovered.