BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday cautioned that though the overall Covid situation has improved in the State, the daily caseload is fluctuating in some coastal districts and there should be no laxity in adhering to the guidelines.
Laying the foundation stones for liquid medical oxygen (LMO) and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants in eight districts virtually, the Chief Minister said there is no unanimity among the experts about the third wave and some states have reported Delta Plus variant cases. “In view of this, we should not neglect our preparedness under any circumstances,” he added.
The Chief Minister requested people to abide by all Covid guidelines. He sought people’s cooperation in vaccination as this is the only way by which the pandemic can be contained. He said so far, more than one crore doses of vaccine have been administered in the State.
The Chief Minister said besides efforts to save the lives, the State government has always worked for protecting the livelihood of people. He referred to the special package of Rs 1,690 crore announced by the government for farmers and poor recently and expected that this will go a long way in helping them in such a critical period.
Stating that work on LMO and PSA plants has already started in 15 districts, he said foundation stones for eight more plants were laid. The Chief Minister laid foundation stone for LMO plants in Bargarh, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Rayagada and Malkangiri districts.
Besides, he inaugurated a 12-bed paediatric ward at Berhampur city hospital, a dialysis centre at Bhanjanagar, a primary health centre at Kukudakhandi and a community health centre at Digapahandi.
Speaker of the Assembly Surjya Narayan Patro participated in the programme from Berhampur and said the new projects will further strengthen healthcare infrastructure in Ganjam district.