JAMMU, April 27: Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Girish Chandra Murmu today called for preparing a comprehensive strategy for the post May 3 scenario in advance to combat COVID-19 pandemic in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Lt Governor was chairing a meeting on COVID-19 control efforts at the Raj Bhavan soon after the interaction with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, through video conferencing, to discuss the emerging situation and plan ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary, Dilbag Singh , DGP, Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education; Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department, Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
The Lt Governor underlined the importance of continued efforts at all levels of the administration in fight against coronavirus in the UT and asked the officers to formulate an effective rapid response mechanism so that pro-active steps can be taken to deal with any emerging situation.
He observed that the increased testing is the key in identifying and combating covid-19 pandemic, and asked the officers to ensure the sustainability of the testing speed and to explore the possibilities of increasing the same. He directed for effective implementation of restrictions in Red-Zones to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
The Lt Governor urged J&K Bank to reach out to the masses with the digital banking facilities by encouraging them to use UPI, BHIM, QR in addition to the use of Aarogya Setu application. He further directed the officers to take necessary measures to fulfill the nutritional requirements of the vulnerable population with special focus on destitutes and slum dwellers.
There is so far no clarification on post May 3 scenario whether the lockdown will be lifted in phased manner or will be extended to curtail the rising number of Coronavirus cases in the country.