IMPRI Team
This panel discussion was related to the working experiences of various professionals especially in the wake of the second wave of COVID in Indian villages. It was organized by the Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS) and “Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi” on 20th May 2021 by the joint efforts of “Parmarth Sevi Sanstha” (Uttar Pradesh). This discussion was another episode of the “Panel Discussion” being organized by the institute for all the states of the country, whose central point should be the rural reality of the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and the issues related to it.
This program was initiated by Ritika Gupta (Assistant Director) of “Institute of Impact and Policy Research”. Dr Simi Mehta (Chief Executive Officer and Editorial Director, Impact and Policy Research Institute) while preparing the background for this panel discussion, while welcoming all the visitors said that the goal of this is to find out by presenting a proper discussion. What is the present status of the second wave of COVID in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and what are the efforts being made at the ground level by various stakeholders in this regard?
The list of eminent panellists who mainly participated in this panel discussion is as follows- Dr Smt. F. Kazmi (Executive Director, NGO “Parvarish Child Development & Health Care Institute”), Dr Sanjay Singh (Waterman of Bundelkhand, Secretary, Parmarth Samaj Seva Sansthan), Dr Yogesh Kumar (Founder Member & Executive Director, Support – Development Assistance Centre), Shri Devi Das (Farmer MG, Support), Ms Abha Sharma (Director, Judav Foundation, Bhopal), Shri Bhupesh Tiwari (President, Fellow Social Service Organization, Chhattisgarh). Mr Rakesh Paliwal (Retd. Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh) and Mrs Anjali Noronha (Fellow, Eklavya) and Dr Anshuman Karoli (Lead – Local Government, Priya, (PRIA) New Delhi) etc.
Shri Shyamsunder Yadav (Lok Shakti Samiti, Chhattisgarh) started his ideas by referring to the economic background of the state of Chhattisgarh. He said that undoubtedly the state has an abundance of resources (different identity across the country in terms of industrial and mineral, energy and steel industries etc.), but with many challenges.
During the second wave of Covid, it was seen that in urban and rural areas of the state, the whole family was affected due to the infection of one member of a family, so in this direction, there is a need to analyze such cases in two forms for the correct assessment of the data. What is needed is an overview of the situation before and after Covid, etc.
In this context, he suggested an appeal for the cooperation of volunteers including women groups, communities and gram panchayats under the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) in these rural areas (for example, increasing the infection rate by adopting the target of screening 300 villages).
Controlling the rate to some extent to avoid human damage) and also commented on the insensitivity of the efforts of the district administration in the second wave of this epidemic.
In the end, while also discussing the efforts of his organization, he said that arrangements for home isolation, proper counselling advice of vaccination, hospitalization in case of deterioration in the health of a person etc. are being done. Apart from this, through our organization, continuous dialogue is going on with the Panchayats across the state, as well as they appealed to the heads of different tribal communities and other communities to encourage the rural people at the local level for vaccination.
Shri Shyamsunder Yadav, while concluding his statement, described the situation of MGNREGA in the state of Chhattisgarh, as well as the condition of the orphan children suffering from this global calamity, under a comprehensive and clear strategy on behalf of the state for them as “legal guardian” or Make a succinct proposal terming the system of guardianship and rehabilitation as challenging.
