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Aiming to ensure that every citizen of Uttar Pradesh puts on mask as a safeguard against the coronavirus, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked officials to distribute face masks among the poor free of cost.
The masks will be manufactured in the state itself and thus promote Brand UP.
A senior official said on Saturday that the government was in the process of purchasing 66 crore triple-layer special cloth masks to be distributed among the 23 crore citizens of the state.
“These masks will be made in the state itself, thus making a new Brand UP item in the country,” he said.
The MSME department has been asked to approach units which can manufacture such masks within a short time and at cheap rates. “Such units are spread across the state. Once the orders are placed we can get the supply within three days,” the official said and added that people need to be taught about the three-layered mask and how to stitch it.
“While the poor will get these masks free of cost, others will have to purchase it at a low price. These masks will be made of cloth, probably khadi, and will be washable. Every person in the state will get two such masks,” official said.
The chief minister also suggested that in place of masks, people could wrap a clean ‘gamcha’ to cover their faces in rural areas.