Bhubaneswar: Keeping in view the outbreak of COVID-19 virus in the habitation of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha, the State ST & SC Development Department has declared a special package.
The ST & SC Dept. is looking after development of 13 PVTG communities of Odisha who are residing in 14 districts. Around 541 villages with 27308 HHs and 1,34,000 population exist in the 17 old Micro Project Agency areas and 1138 newly identified PVTG villages with 36906 HHs & 160401 population have further been notified in the existing MPAs and three additional MPAs established at Keonjhar, Jajpur and Dhenkanal Districts.
For emergency COVID Management in PVTG areas, the following package has been provided:
- Distribution of free masks and sanitising materials to all PVTGs
- Dry ration kit of Rs.2,500/- to all COVID affected PVTG Households
- Incentive of Rs.1,400/- to all PVTGs @ Rs.100/- per day affected by COVID-19 for stay in Institutional Quarantine Centre
- Door to door survey & screening of all PVTG households for COVID-19 symptoms
- The Community Resource persons (CRPs) working in PVTG villages shall be awarded 1,000/- per month as an incentive for 04 months.
- Health kits and life insurance coverage has been provided for all the field functionaries under MPAs.
Apart from these initiatives, fund provision has been made for supporting the isolation centres set up at village level & COVID Care Centres at MPA level and dedicated ambulances for emergency transport. Massive awareness campaign has been taken up in all PVTG villages (miking in local PVTG languages & posters/banners), bulk messages are being sent to PVTGs having mobile phones, door to door survey has been taken up in all PVTG villages by ASHA, AWW & ANM Workers along with CRPs equipped with thermal screening & Oximeter and sensitization is being made on hand wash and COVID guidelines observation.
On detection of COVID symptoms, the block level Rapid Response Team is mobilised for conducting mass testing and referral to isolation/quarantine centre/COVID Care Hospital as the case may be.
The Dept. has also facilitated establishment of isolation/ quarantine Centre in hard to reach pockets or wherever required on emergency basis. The State Level Monitoring Team is closely working with District Administration in this entire process. Daily tracking of the COVID cases and the containment measures is being done by the State Level Monitoring Cell.
