Bhubaneswar, May 17:A 3-month house-to-house survey for Covid symptoms and co-morbid conditions will be launched in Odisha by the ASHAs and AWWs from May 24 next, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced today.

Addressing an all-party meeting today on covid management in view of a surge in the covid cases in the state, Mr Patnaik emphasized community involvement as the main pillars of Covid management.

He said the Gram Panchayats, Gaon Kalyan Samitis and Sarpanchs have been involved since the beginning. The grassroots workers like ANMs, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and organizations like Mission Shakthi groups have been intensively utilized for providing the services to the people.

Stating that the Gaon Kalyan Samitis are at the cutting edge of our outreach and they are there in almost every village, an amount of Rs 10,000 per GKS will be sanctioned for undertaking Covid related activities at the village level involving the community.

The Chief Minister says since the ASHA workers monitor home isolation cases, they will be provided one-time assistance of Rs.10,000 for bicycle, cupboard, slippers, umbrella and torch.

The Sarpanchs, he said, would continue to have the powers of district collectors in enforcing lockdown and they are free to start TMCs based on need and inflow of people from outside.

To start with, the State, the Chief Minister said, has started functioning zonal TMCs as the flow of people from outside is very less compared to last year.

Stating that the Covid has devastated many families in the state, Mr Patnaik announced to cover the widows and orphan children under the Madhubabu Pension Yojana to provide a healing touch to such Covid affected

The children, he said, would also get free education facilities.

The Chief Minister appealed to MLAs to take the message of wearing masks, washing hands regularly, maintaining social distances, avoiding crowding and staying at home unless necessary to go out to the people.

“As representatives, you have a large influence on the public mind and please educate them on following the Covid appropriate behaviour”, he said, adding that these are our main weapons to control the spread of the virus

The Government, Mr Patnaik announced would allow expenditure from MLALADS up to Rs 50 lakhs for assisting in activities related to covid management, including procurement of masks from Mission Shakti groups to provide for poor people.

The Government, he said, is making all-out efforts to save precious lives and hoped to get the cooperation of the MLAs in this war against Covid.(UNI)