Video Conference With Ministers, MLAs and Officers : Work on Mission Mode to Make Awareness Campaign a Success - CM

Jaipur, 16 June. Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot has said that the government took decisions with all sections of the society keeping their confidence level high and this resulted in the success of keeping corona infection under control in Rajasthan. “Public awareness is very important to continue this success and prevent from corona," he said, for which a massive awareness campaign will start from June 21.

Shri Gehlot said that during this 10-day special awareness campaign the message about prevention of corona spread would be carried to the villages, hamlets and colonies. It aimed that the people understand the risk of this disease and adopt the measures of prevention. He said that the people needed to make the safety measures such as frequent hand washing, maintaining 2-yards distance, not going out without face mask and not spitting in public places the part of their lifestyle. He said that the public representatives, officers, employees, social organizations, personnel at grassroot-level were needed to work on mission mode to make this campaign successful.

The CM was reviewing the situation of corona infection and the proposed awareness campaign through a video conference from his residence on Tuesday. State Cabinet members, MLAs, senior department officers, Collectors, Superintendents of Police, Chief Medical & Health Officers in various districts attended the video conference. Shri Gehlot said that the state government took steps to keep the spread of corona virus under control at the initial level itself. Rajasthan would be the first state to run such mass awareness campaign to save lives of the people.

The Chief Minister said, "The state government is utilising this hour of crisis to strengthen health infrastructure across Rajasthan. This is evident from the fact that when the first infection was reported here, we did not have any facility to test and today we have offered the neighbouring state to conduct 5,000 tests per day." He said that the efforts initiated by the state government for ‘ruthless containment’, door-to-door screening, testing and treatment of non-corona diseases, OPD services through 550 mobile vans, institutional deliveries, regular vaccination etc. were being praised widely.

On awareness campaign, Shri Gehlot said that the idea behind this was to carry the message of risk of corona infection and prevention measures upto the remotest places in common local language so that people of all sections of society understand it better. Services of folk artists, who earn their livelihood through street plays, folk songs, puppeteering etc would be taken for this awareness campaign, he said further adding that this would provide the folk artists some economic support as well.

The CM expressed satisfaction on more than 50 lakh labourers getting employed through MGNREGA works. He asked the officials to ensure that social distancing was maintained while carrying out MGNREGA works. Besides this, in view of scorching heat, he directed them to permit the labourers leave by 11AM or early as and when the given tasks were finished.

During the conference, Medical & Health Minister Dr. Raghu Sharma said that corona testing facilities had been developed in 17 districts and the department would soon achieve the target of having this facility in all the districts. The government aimed to have a capacity of conducting 40,000 tests per day.

Art & Culture Minister Shri B.D. Kalla talked about participation of ensuring folk artists in the awareness campaign. Minister of State for Education Shri Govind Singh Dotasara offered that the education department would extend full cooperation in the campaign. Minister of State for Women & Child Development Smt. Mamta Bhupesh said the Asha Sahayoginis, Aanganbadi Workers would also participate in the campaign about corona infection.

Chief Secretary Shri D.B. Gupta said that the message of awareness to contain spread of corona would be sent across to 1.93 crore people linked with Jan Aadhaar on their mobile phones. Public representatives at the district, block and panchayat level would also be associated with this campaign along with the personnel at grass-root level, he added.

Additional Chief Secretary Home Shri Rajeeva Swarup said that it would be compulsory for the private workplaces and commercial institutions to display the detailed information about preventive measures for corona in their premises and it would be implemented using the Epidemic Act. He said that the such hoardings, banners etc. will be put at the places where footfall of the people was more.

Additional Chief Secretary Medical & Health Shri Rohit Kumar Singh said that Rajasthan was among the leading states in regard to the number of tests being conducted per 10 lakh population, the average of case doubling rate and the rate of turning from positive to negative. He said that the civil society workers, community organisations, 'Triple-A' i.e. Asha Sahayoginis, ANMs and Aanganwadi Workers would have a major role to play in this campaign.

Commissioner, Department of Information & Public Relations Shri Mahendra Soni gave a detailed presentation about the awareness campaign. He said that all publicity media would be used for this. A strategy had been prepared to make this campaign a grand success as awareness would be created through audio-visual material, newspapers or TV advertisements, radio jingles, outdoor hoardings, posters, banners, sunboards, sunpack, digital wall painting, vinyl pastings on the buses, pamphlet distribution and through use social media. For this, separate budget was transferred to the districts, he said further adding that the districts would adopt an innovative and creative approach during this.