India is in the midst of its fight against an intractable contagion that emanated from the Central Chinese city of Wuhan and now threatens to overwhelm the entire country. PM Modi announced an emergency relief fund where people can make a voluntary contribution to support the government’s battle against Coronavirus. Soon thereafter, various chief ministers too announced state relief funds to solicit funds from people to help the victims of the infection.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has started a COVID-19 relief fund under the chief minister’s office. A bank account has been opened where people can make discretionary donation to financially support the Uttar Pradesh government’s efforts in tackling the virus.
Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund: Savings Bank 1378820696, Central Bank of India, CBI Cantt. Road, Lucknow; Branch Code: 281571; IFSC Code: CBIN0281571. Those living abroad can use Swift Code: CBININBBLKO for contributing their part to the UP CM’s fund.
With no vaccine or antidote to the virus yet developed, the most efficacious method to abate the ravaging run of the infection is through exercising social distancing and adhering to strict restrictions. In line with this wisdom, PM Modi last week announced a sweeping lockdown of the entire country for 21 days until April 15 to stave off the crisis presented by the coronavirus. Citizens were advised to stay put where they were and avoid mass gatherings to contain the spread of the disease.
However, on Saturday, another crisis erupted in Delhi when a raft of migrant workers, an overwhelming number of whom come from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, defied lockdown instructions and hoofed it over to the state border with Uttar Pradesh with the aim to leave for the home. It is now being alleged that the Delhi government facilitated the migrant worker’s travel to the state border.
Caught off-guard by the sudden pandemonium at the border where thousands of people congregated, providing a hotbed for coronavirus to proliferate, the UP government quickly swung into action and provided 1000 buses to ferry the stranded migrant workers to their hometowns amidst the palpable threat from coronavirus. Those stuck at the border were also provided with packaged food and drinking water. The buses later left for Kanpur, Ballia, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Faizabad, Basti, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Amethi, Rae Bareli, Gonda, Etawah, Bahraich and Shravasti.
So far, 1150 coronavirus cases have emerged across the country, with Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi topping the list of states with the maximum number of infections.
