SRINAGAR, May 13:
Over 125 ex-servicemen, including 27 medics from the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir have volunteered to be COVID-19 warriors to augment the existing manpower of civil administration to fight against the deadly virus, a defence ministry spokesman said.
He said since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic in March 2020, the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army has been contributing to the efforts of the civil administration and the citizens to combat the virus in the UT.
In this second wave of COVID, various activities are being undertaken by Chinar Corps across the length and breadth of Kashmir, notably amongst them are reactivation of 250 bedded Dedicated Covid Care Center at Rangreth, establishing two 20 bedded facility with High Dependency Units in Baramulla and Uri. Some more such facilities to treat COVID patients are in advanced stages of planning and are being established at different places, he said.
He said ex-servicemen of the three services have volunteered to be COVID warriors and 127 such veterans from UT have reported augmenting the existing manpower of civil administration, this includes 27 medics. They have been divided into teams of ten each and have already reported to their respective district collectors.
He said a total of 1412 Ex-servicemen have volunteered and will be deployed as per requirement.
A spokesman said boosting the COVID infrastructure in Kashmir, the Indian Army is pooling in the oxygen cylinders with Army establishments to be made available to civil administration to be used in augmenting the existing oxygen supply of Kashmir.
Ration and COVID kits are also being distributed among the people belonging from a humble background and people from Gurjar and Bakharwal community in forward areas. The army medics have also augmented the UT government efforts for vaccination drive in forward areas.
He said the Army is regularly organising Khairiyat Patrols, where local Army establishments are sending patrols along with nursing assistants to the villages & distributing medicines, masks, sanitisers, PPE kits & other items, which are essential to fight the COVID pandemic. More than 50 such activities are taking place daily in Kashmir, he said adding this pandemic is a national challenge and all must jointly work to combat this challenge. (UNI)
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