Bhubaneswar, July 31: In order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned different activities to be carried out in each ward for information education communication (IEC) and behaviour change communication (BCC), knowledge dissemination, capacity building, knowledge management, COVID surveillance and community engagement.

Termed “COVID-19 Annual Ward Budget and Action Plan’’, a ward will be allocated a fund of Rs 1 lakh in a year. It will also include expenditure for Slum Committee for COVID-19. The Zonal Deputy Commissioner (ZDC) concerned shall prepare the action plan for each ward under his jurisdiction and shall submit it for approval through the Deputy Commissioner (COVID-Cell).

The Ward Supervisors, Community Organisers, Angan Wadi Workers, ASHA Karmis and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers will assist the ZDC concerned and shall act as assessors to prepare the activities and expenditure details under each head of the budget.

It is also planned to conduct consultation meetings to be undertaken with the Ward Committees, former corporators, religious leaders to gather baseline information data related to number of households, family members, ward migrants, elderly persons, differently abled persons, widowers, children below the age of 10 years, economically weaker sections who are having high risk of infection due to the community transmission of COVID-19.

Once the “Annual Ward Budget and Action Plan’’ is approved for a ward, the activities would be undertaken under each head and expenditure to be incurred as per plan.

It can be mentioned here that BMC has already taken up many initiatives as proactive measure such as functioning of a dedicated emergency COVID Cell, fogging, spraying of disinfectant, proper sanitation, spraying of sodium hypochlorite solution, awareness through tableau, establishment of quarantine facilities, smooth de-boarding of passengers coming through air and railways, arrangement of stay and accommodation for the stranded labourers, arrangement of travel to native places of the stranded labourers and many initiatives based on the situations raised including the launch of “Mo Sapatha Nua Abhyasa Campaign’’ across the city of Bhubaneswar.