Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Sunday said that various steps are being taken by the State Government in its fight against on-going global pandemic Covid-19 and the topmost priority is that no one remains hungry in this hour of crisis.
“The ration cardholders as well as those who do not have any card, have been provided ration through ‘distress tokens’.
This facility was provided to around 4,86,000 (4 lakh 86 thousand) people in the state” the Chief Minister said.
He said that the State Government through Haryana Roadways buses and special sharmik trains made elaborate arrangements to send labourers back to their respective home states from Haryana in a safe and systematic manner.
The Chief Minister said this while addressing the officers of District Administration at Kaithal. The Minister of State for Women and Child Development Kamlesh Dhanda was also present at the meeting.
Manohar Lal while addressing the officers, said that to fight the battle against this pandemic, the State Government and the District Administration have worked day and night, as a result of which Haryana is in a better position as compared to other states.
He said that this is the worst pandemic which is being witnessed worldwide and the world is badly affected by this.
At the initial stage itself Prime Minister Narendra Modi took an important decision of announcing lockdown in the entire country to prevent the virus from spreading. Haryana too took many important steps to prevent the spread of infection in the state, he added.
The Chief Minister said that as no vaccine is available for the treatment of this infection till now, therefore each one of us has to ensure that precautions like wearing masks, adhering to social distancing norms are incorporated in our lifestyle.
He said that the number of Covid-19 testing labs would be increased in Haryana.
He said that the state as well as the district administration of Kaithal has worked vigorously in curbing this global pandemic, for which everyone deserves to be applauded. Arrangements were also made by the government to provide ration to all the people. In Kaithal district, around 25,416 people were provided ration through distress tokens, the Chief Minister shared.
The Chief Minister further said that additional procurement centers were set up by the government for hassle-free procurement of farmers’ crops during COVID-19 crisis. If the farmers' payment of this season is outstanding, then the concerned department should make sure to release the pending amount to the concerned farmer immediately, he said.
He also said that as lockdown-4 is over, and now the Ministry of Health has announced unlock-1, therefore during this period, everyone should wear masks and ensure strict adherence to social distancing norms.
As Corona infection spreads rapidly, therefore we all have to remain cautious to prevent the spread. A provision of penalty has also been made for those found violating guidelines, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government is also making plans for the future. It is very important to save the water for our future generations which is the most precious gift of nature.
The micro-irrigation system is very beneficial for water conservation. About 3000-liter water is required for sowing one kg rice. Therefore, to save water for ourselves and for the coming generations, we have to adopt crop diversification, he added.
He said that farmers have been called upon to save water by sowing other crops instead of paddy.