Prabin Kumar Pradhan, the Sarpanch of Daincha village Panchayat in Sambalpur district of the Indian state of Odisha, would daily backpack a sprinkler filled with the approved per centage of sodium hypochlorite solution to sanitize the temporary medical centres in his area set up for housing the returnee migrant workers while they spend the mandatory 14-day quarantine period during the COVID -19 pandemic. He would personally be present during the preparation of food and distribution to the inmates of the centre. Damayanti Kanhar, the lady Sarpanch of Bandhagada Panchayat in Kandhamal district meanwhile led her team in an awareness-raising campaign on sanitizing, hand washing, social distancing and using masks, by making door to door visit and interacting with the villagers.
The village Panchayat is the lowest in the three tier Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) in India. There are several such instances in the state where the Sarpanches, the elected heads of the Village Panchayat (Consisting of about 8-10 villages) and his/her team have exhibited un-paralleled zeal and determination in ensuring the smooth discharge of several duties at the grassroots level as part of their Covid-management.
The sudden imposition of the nationwide lockdown in India on March 25 owing to the spread of Coronavirus came as a major shock for the people. While it was necessary for the country to go for a shutdown at this juncture, the preparedness at the government level was inadequate. The lockdown meant an immediate end to almost all social, cultural and economic activities; people were expected to stay indoor, shops were shut down, transport frozen and so on.
