ITBP distributes essential items in far-flung areas across country amid COVID-19 lockdown

In the view of the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops are reaching out to people in far-flung areas across the country to provide essential items. According to reports, the troops are providing ration, fuel, medicines besides other daily use items and have been asked to take good care of people living in remote areas where communication is minimum. 

The ITBP spokesperson, Vivek Pandey said, "The ITBP Jawans are helping authorities in the enforcement of the lockdown and keeping an eye on the supplies being provided to the needy. Remote border villages of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Chhattisgarh where the Force is deployed have been focused especially, besides other parts of the nation such as Patna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar to name a few." 

Reportedly, the villagers are provided ration and other items free of cost. In addition to that, the ITBP is also running awareness campaigns in the areas while maintaining social distancing and providing correct information to the people. 

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India under lockdown

In a bid to tackle the growing crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, stating that "social distancing" is the only way to contain the disease which is spreading rapidly across the world.

According to the latest update of the Health Ministry, about 5,274 cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in the country including 4,714 active cases. While 149 deaths have been reported overall, around 411 people have been cured. Currently, the highest number of cases have been reported from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, PM Modi has also established a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation -- like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic -- and to provide relief to the affected. A public charitable trust under the name of ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) has been established for the same.

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(With ANI Inputs; Image Source: ANI)