Watadahosahalli gram panchayat president S M Naveen represented the district in the video conferencing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with gram panchayat presidents on the occasion of Panchayat Raj Diwas on Friday.
The arrangements were made for the programme at mini auditorium of Zilla Panchayat. Watadahosahalli is in Gauribidanur taluk.
Modi had the video conferencing for about 30 minutes, while he interacted with Naveen for six minutes. The programme began at 11 am.
Modi said that the nobody had expected pandemic like Covid-19. Efforts to contain Covid-19 across the country were satisfactory and there was a need to get rid of the virus through the Panchayat Raj system.
“Novel coronavirus has taught us a lesson that we should not be dependent on anybody and that we should fight having faith in ourselves,” he said.
Modi asked Naveen the measures taken by his gram Panchayat in containing Covid-19.
Naveen replied that about 14 people in the Gram Panchayat limits had been quarantined. Food, vegetables, milk and medicine were being provided to them. Steps had been taken so that they could not venture out.
He said Asha workers, Anganawadi workers, Gram Panchayat members and volunteers had joined hands to control the pandemic in the region. He was getting latest updates once in two days.
Naveen added,” Benefits have extended to 2,301 people under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, about 1280 people have received benefits under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, while under Ujwala Yojana about 739 people have been benefited. The number of beneficiaries under various pension schemes is 506. A total of 5026 people have been benefited.”
He said that checkpoints had been setup to prevent movement of people unnecessarily. Awareness drives are being conducted about sanitation. Food, shelter and accommodation had been provided to 170 workers from Maharastra state.
Naveen said that free market system was being ensured so that farmers could directly sell their produces to consumers. Medicines were procured from Bengaluru and were supplied at doorstep of the needy.
Under Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act, employments had been provided to local residents in the field of water revival initiatives, he said.
Naveen thanked the Prime Minister in Hindi and then began speaking in Kannada. Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Fouzia B Taranum translated his later conversation in Hindi.
Zilla Panchayat President M B Chikkanarasimhaiah and some ZP members were present.