New Delhi Apr 20 (IANS): Local bodies across the country are taking steps to check the spread of Covid-19 by creating awareness among the people and educating them about the effective precautionary measures.

The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj said in a statement on Monday that district administrations and gram panchayats are responding with various activities to check the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country.

In a bid to combat the pandemic, the actions being taken by the local bodies and administrations include formation of advisory committees, wall paintings to create awareness about the disease, local stitching and distribution of masks, free distribution of cooked meals/ration to the needy and sanitisation of public spaces, said the statement.

The Aajeevika Mission is involved in stitching masks for distribution among the gram panchayats in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district. The sarpanch of Acharpura gram panchayat in Huzur Tehsil of Bhopal district has also distributed masks to the villagers.

Wall paintings have been done in the Khamariya panchayat of Chicholi block in Narsinghpur district, Madhya Pradesh.

In Tamil Nadu, under the supervision of panchayat officials, sanitisation is being done in Mangalam panchayat in Tiruppur district.

Similarly, steps are being taken to combat the spread of the deadly virus in Nagaland. The state government, under the initiative of Temjen Toy (IAS), Chief Secretary, has constituted a special advisory group (SAG) on Covid-19 to advice the government on the preparedness and response to the pandemic in the state.

Cooked food is being provided to homeless people by Xaqhe SHG under Shozukhu Village, Kuhuboto Block, Dimapur, and 10 kg of rice is being provided to each daily wage labourer's households by a village level organization in Signal Angami village, Dimapur, said the Panchayati Raj Ministry statement.