The Union Government has requested the State Government to undertake a comprehensive documentation of collective response on Covid-19, which will be of immense significance for future generations.
Both the Union and State Government have joined hands and are working in tandem to fight out the Covid-19 pandemic; so documentation in this regard is necessary, officials said.
Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra has written to the State Government in this regard, while asking to initiate the process, which is needed for institutional memory and utilise the same in future.
In fact, the Government of India has initiated the process of documentation of the collective efforts to contain Covid-19 and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been designated as Anchor Institution for the purpose.
Dr Mishra has said that the NDMA will be providing guidance to the State Government for providing guidance to the State Government.
The State Government, which has taken a lead in implementing Covid-19 management is needed to take up comprehensive documentation in handling Covid-19 pandemic, official sources said.
While undertaking documentation, the State Government will be mapping various response actions against a timeline stating from the last week of January.
The documentation will be done as to how ideas were generated and put into action when Covid-19 pandemic spread in the country so also in the world.
The documentation will be taken up as to how testing, surveillance and treatment were taken up and facilities were set up for the people.
Several interventions were made by both the State and Union Governments, which are needed to be documented
Take for example, good practices like social distancing, which people in Odisha adhered to a great extent, admitted Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy.
It has been observed the social distancing adoption has been one of the very successful interventions of the State Government and the people have abided by it.
Similarly, efforts of Sarpanches are needed to be documented as they have taken a lot of efforts in the fight of Covid-19.
The Union Government had advised that actions taken at lowest level of the administration is needed to be captured through documentation. So these efforts are needed to be comprehensively documented, officials feel.
While direction of the State Government and related guidelines and guidelines of Government of India will be finding place in the comprehensive documentation, officials informed.
Thanks to decision of the Union Government, which has decided to initiate comprehensive documentation of the collective response to Covid-19, the State Government will be taking a decision in this regard, said sources.
Earlier, the State Government had also made documentation of collective efforts during very severe cyclone Fani and it is very useful for handling natural disasters, officials added.