Ex-Servicemen Should Carry Corona Awareness Message to Villages & Hamlets – CM

Video Conference with Ex-Servicemen

Jaipur, July 7. Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot has said that ex-servicemen should carry the corona awareness message to the villages and hamlets across the state and should inspire the public to adopt all measures to prevent the spread of infection. “Prevention is the only way out. Hence it is the responsibility of all of us to not to be careless and following all prescribed health protocols,” he said.

Shri Gehlot was having a dialogue with ex-servicemen through a video conference from his official residence on Tuesday. He appealed to the people of the State to fully abide by the health protocols while going to public places, maintain social distancing, wear the mask, and wash hands frequently. To contain the spread of from coronavirus, ‘one should take care of oneself’.

Spirit Of Martyrdom Is In Every House Of State

The Chief Minister said, “I am proud that I am Chief Minister of a State, where members of every household possess the spirit of martyrdom and guard the borders of the country.” At the time of the Kargil war, as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, "I got the opportunity to visit the martyrs' families across the State and meet their parents," he said. People proudly send their other sons to guard the borders. The spirit of sacrifice and dedication to the country is seen in every household of Rajasthan, he added.

Shri Gehlot said that the soldiers were the first to come in the frontline during the time of any crisis. Even in the present fight with coronavirus, the ex-servicemen came forward as volunteers and extended help. He said that at this hour of emergency, the doctors, nurses, police, anganwadi workers, asha sahayoginis, village secretaries, patwaris, pradhans, sarpanchs, ward panchs, councilors and local representatives along with ex-servicemen have given their contributions and they deserve kudos. “To boost the morale of our ex-servicemen, I myself took the initiative and talked to them,” he said.

Rajasthan Is Leading In All Parameters

The CM said that the State Government took prompt decisions by and won confidence of every section of the society including the representatives of all political parties, religious leaders and social organisation and led the fight to stop spread of corona infection. As a result of urgent action, the mortality rate in the State is very low and the recovery rate in Rajasthan is also excellent. "Rajasthan is in better position amongst the states infected with corona on different parameters including the number of days of doubling of patients.

The Chief Minister said that the State Government was fully geared up for the long fight against the virus. "We have strengthened the infrastructure of Medical & Health Department to deal with any situation. The State Government is also making efforts to providing economic assistance along with free ration to the poor and the needy people," he said.

Testing Capacity Increased To 41,450 Tests Per Day

Health Minister Dr. Raghu Sharma said that the testing facility was not available in the state when the first corona patient was detected in the state. "Today, we have developed the capacity of conducting 41,450 tests per day. Necessary arrangements have been made at all district hospitals as well as the CHCs and PHCs to deal with the health crisis. He said that the support of ex-servicemen would further strengthen the state's campaign to fight corona.

Many Decisions Taken For Welfare Of Soldiers

Soldier Welfare Minister Shri Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said that it was good that over more than 1.92 lakh ex-servicemen and officers in the state were participating in the awareness campaign. He further said, "The CM, Shri Gehlot, has taken many important decisions towards soldiers' welfare. The amount of Rs. 25 lakh under the Kargil Package has been increased to Rs. 50 lakh for the family members of martyr soldiers and jawans of the paramilitary force and the pension of widows of the soldiers who had participated in World War II was increased from Rs. 4000 to Rs 10,000. Also, the provisions have been made for 100 per cent waiver on stamp duty and registration fee for the transfer of land in favour of a martyr’s dependent wife, son, daughter, and parents. Besides this, the State Government has also increased the remuneration of ex-servicemen employed through Rajasthan Ex-Servicemen Corporation by 10%, free travel in Rajasthan Roadways buses to Shaurya Medal awardees and land allotment at Indira Gandhi Canal Project to 49 Shaurya Medal Awardees," he added.

Minister of the State for Soldiers' Welfare Shri Ashok Chandna said that the ex-servicemen had a different image and respect in their regions. Therefore, they would be able to carry the awareness message effectively to the villages and hamlets. Director, Soldiers' Welfare Brigadier Karan Singh Rathore assured that the ex-servicemen, who are always ready to extend help during any kind of disaster, would dedicatedly extend their cooperation in carrying the government’s awareness message.

'Dialogue with Chief Minister Boosts Our Morale'

During the conference, the ex-servicemen said that it was for the first time that a Chief Minister took the initiative of having a dialogue with them directly. Such enterprises boost their morale and they encourage them to extend support to the government in its efforts to stop the spread of corona infection.

Chief Secretary Shri Rajeeva Swarup, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shri Niranjan Arya, Additional Chief Secretary Home Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary Soldiers' Welfare Shri Anand Kumar, Principal Secretary Health Shri Akhil Arora, Information & Public Relation Commissioner Shri Mahendra Soni and other senior officers were present during the video conference.