Centre to provide Rs 1,352 cr to NE States to fight Covid-19 pandemic: Mansukh Mandaviya

BATTLE AGAINST COVID-19

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Centre has announced a special financial package of Rs 1,352.92 crore for the North Eastern States to fight the Covid-19 pandemic effectively.

The announcement came during a review meeting on "Public Health Response to COVID-19" between Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya and Health Ministers of North Eastern States at the Assam Administrative Staff College at Khanapara here on Tuesday. The Union Minister arrived in Assam with a central team to review the COVID-19 situation in the region.

Mandaviya told reporters after the review meeting on Tuesday evening that the financial package of Rs 1,352.92 crore would help the NE states to strengthen their health infrastructure to fight the pandemic effectively. With this fund, the states can enhance their health facilities to combat the pandemic more aggressively, he said. Assam that has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases and deaths in the region will receive the lion's share of the Centre's package.

The Union Minister said that the Central package would assist the NE States to procure medicines, keep buffer stock, maintain adequate stock of oxygen and installation of sufficient beds in hospitals at district and local levels, besides ICU beds. He said that the Centre would ensure a regular supply of vaccines to the NE States to vaccinate the maximum number of people within the next few months.

When asked about the prolonged second wave of the pandemic in the Northeast, Mandaviya said that the peak in the region reached much later than the rest of India, and so it was taking time to decline.

"In the last two weeks, the cases have started declining in the Northeast, and this is a good sign. All the states took various steps to contain the second wave, and it is ending now," Mandaviya said.

A communiqué issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Tuesday evening stated that in-depth discussions were held during the review meeting where the health ministers of different NE States had offered their suggestions to combat the pandemic better in this region and to achieve vaccination for their people at the shortest possible time.

Mandaviya appreciated the State governments in NE for their efforts for controlling the spread of the pandemic during the period when this region was hit by the second wave. While enquired about the possible threat of the third wave in the Northeast region, the Minister was hopeful that the State governments are fully prepared and are equipped to thwart the possible third wave in this region.

During Tuesday's meeting, the Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta and ministers from the other NE States gave an overview of the Covid-19 situation and their strategies to combat the pandemic in their respective states through brief presentations. Health ministers of Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland were present in Tuesday's deliberation, while the Education and Law Minister of Tripura and Adviser of Chief Minister, Manipur represented their respective States in the review meeting. Senior officials of the State Governments and Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were present in the meeting.

Also Read: Assam has a stock of more than 11 lakh COVID vaccines: Health Authorities

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