Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (DV)

Kundapur, Jun 1: Kundapur Taluk Panchayat Raj Okkuta submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa urging him to consider gram panchayat members who work in Covid-19 task force as corona warriors.

They stated in the memorandum, “The government has strengthened the Covid-19 task force and also allowed to utilize the funds from the gram panchayats. Permitted to work in coordination along with health, revenue, police, and child and women welfare departments. The gram panchayats have successfully is handling this. The government has provided facilities and security to corona warriors working in various departments. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department, recently, considered gram panchayat staff as the corona warriors. In reality, only the local administration can achieve, function, or can control to achieve. But, unfortunately, the government has not considered the panchayat president, vice president, and members as corona warriors.

In-state, the gram panchayat president, vice-president, and members are working immensely to contain the spread of Covid-19. As many as 25% of gram panchayat members in the state are actively involved in the process of preventing the spread of covid-19. Several members are infected with the virus. Several presidents, vice-presidents, and members of gram panchayat sacrificed their life. But, they have no security to their life. We are committed to work. It is the responsibility of the government to provide protection. The chief minister, rural development, and panchayat raj minister, chief secretary of the government after studying the reality gram panchayat members should be declared as Corona Warriors. And the government should pay the hospital charge. Compensation should be given to gram panchayat members who die due to pandemic as like compensation given to given to government employees,” appealed Udaya Kumar of Kundapur Taluk Panchayat Raj Okkuta.