COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc not only with precious human lives but shattered the economies of individuals, families, institutions and the like. While top most priority of the Government and all concerned agencies should be to treat people from the virus infection and save lives , at the same time – how to keep sustenance of the victim families from being adversely affected, various steps and measures within the resources have to be taken. Such an approach is tantamount to mitigate the suffering of the suffering ones. We hardly need to reiterate that we are currently facing such a calamity that any step worth taking and being within our competence, reach and means, should never be delayed let alone hesitated to be taken. Even small things put together can work wonders as we know that ”little drops of water and little grains of sand make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land….”. The devastation brought in wake by calamities, as horrendous and dreadful as COVID -19 pandemic, agreeably cannot be all reversed especially loss of precious lives but the after effects, pangs, sufferings, despair and uncertain future of the victim families can be mitigated to a larger extent. Civilized societies, responsible and responsive Governments set example in mitigating sufferings of the victims of the calamity. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and his administration deserve accolades for announcing slew of measures to alleviate the suffering of those families who lost their near and loved ones to the COVID pandemic.
The miseries are accentuated in such families when the bread earner of the family is gone leaving the survivors virtually to fall back upon nothing and the UT Government in this respect has reached out to such families by deciding to pay special family pension for life and those children whose parents have been snatched by this pandemic are going to receive special scholarship from the Government. In this way, the future of the children to a large extent, stands assuaged. One time financial assistance or on recurring basis would not serve the desired results as much as providing financial assistance for getting engaged in pursuits of self employment which under various schemes of the Government will be financed by the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd. Reaching out to the other vulnerable section of the society – that of daily basis wage earning workers who are the worst hit as those workers engaged with construction sites, factories, brick kilns and other labour intensive units have been rendered jobless affecting their bread and butter. Since the days of Corona ”curfew” means rainy days for them, the UT Government has decided to provide financial help of Rs.1000 per month to them for next two months by which time , hopefully, the pandemic may have substantially subsided to enable again opening up and doing as usual. Welfare schemes like payment of old-age pension, Laldi Beti, PMAY, MGNREGA and other schemes would, to an increasing extent, prove as a support base during the difficult days.
The decision equally is no less important on the front of arranging ration in time to all ration card holders for which the designated depots must have adequate stocks which the concerned officers must ensure. Other vulnerable group, though ostensibly small, is Old Age Homes and Orphanages where not only the Government but other social and charitable organisations must extend all possible help. Doing it and making it look all practically, the decision to release Rs. 55 crore under State Disaster Response Fund to all the Deputy Commissioners and even the UT Police for emergency use, was going to better the management of the situation. While currently focus is on continuously improving upon medical facilities in hospitals and providing timely treatment, side by side, taking such supportive and helpful economic measures, were equally important. The Lt. Governor has rightly expected people’s cooperation and participation in defeating the pandemic, an unprecedentedly difficult challenge, which after having realised its gravity, we suppose no one would shirk. Together only we can win and live and not by opting for the obverse.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel