Encourage civil society groups, private sector to partner with govt in fight against coronavirus: VP to Governors, LGs

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged governors and lieutenant governors to enhance awareness among people, and encourage civil society organisations and the private sector to partner with the government in the fight against coronavirus. Interacting with governors and LGs during a video conference by President Ram Nath Kovind, he observed that as first citizens of their respective states, they were in a unique position to play a very creative role in this moment of national crisis by motivating and guiding their respective sates and UTs.

"Your leadership is crucial and your guidance, facilitation and motivating ability can be most valuable," he said. According to an official statement, Naidu wanted the governors and LGs to motivate new partners such as universities, kendriya vidyalayas, other educational institutions and religious bodies to contribute to this urgent cause by freeing up spaces to allocate spots for isolation wards for COVID-19 patients. As chancellors of various universities, Naidu wanted them to explore the possibility of conducting online classes to complete the curriculum and ensure academic schedule was not disturbed.

He appealed to private hospitals to earmark some beds for COVID-19 patients and urged civil society organisations, including the Red Cross, to take up humanitarian assistance activities for the poor, elderly and sick members of our population. Naidu asked the governors and LGs to involve religious and spiritual leaders, film and sports celebrities as also well known public figures to promote awareness to combat COVID-19. He also urged the private sector which has infrastructure and resources to play a more proactive role in supplementing efforts of government and mitigate the hardship faced by people.