Lucknow, May 27 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Congress has launched a campaign called 'Sewa Satyagrah - Mera Gaon, Mera Abhiyan' to provide help to the people, especially in the rural areas, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The party has also set up a helpline for residents of all 823 blocks of the state.

During the campaign, party workers will distribute medical kits to the residents and sanitise villages to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

According to UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Singh Lallu, "A special drive to extend much-needed help to the people of rural Uttar Pradesh has been launched on the direction of party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Congress workers will distribute 10 lakh medical kits to villagers after medical consultation and also sanitise villages for which 15 lakh-litre of sanitiser has been procured."

Lallu said that Priyanka Gandhi had earlier written to all the newly-elected village heads and members of district panchayats, seeking their help for making the programme a success.

The Congress leader said, "The first batch of medicines and sanitiser tanks has been dispatched with party leaders from UPCC headquarters in Lucknow and they would start functioning from Thursday. Similarly, teams will be dispatched from zonal headquarters in order to cover all the blocks of the state within the next one week.

"Our party is already working for public welfare by providing oxygen concentrators, medicines, food packets and three oxygen tankers which were provided to a Lucknow hospital by Priyanka Gandhi during the acute oxygen crisis."

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sent oxygen concentrators to Amethi, his former parliamentary constituency, and has plans to organise a sanitation campaign in the district.

Amethi district Congress chief Pradeep Singhal said that 10,000 litres of sanitiser will soon be arriving in Amethi and teams have been formed to carry out the sanitisation drive amid the second wave of the pandemic.

"Rahul Gandhi has already sent five oxygen concentrators and 20 oxygen cylinders to the district on May 21 while 15 more concentrators have been dispatched," he said.