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Dimapur, June 11 (EMN): Minister for Geology and Mining, Soil and Water Conservation, V Khashiho Sangtam, on Thursday urged the people to welcome home the returnees and not to discriminate them.
The minister visited Primary Health Centre and quarantine centre at Amahator town, according to an update from DIPR.
The minister said returnees are age group of 20 to 30 with most of them asymptomatic. Naga returnees are around 18,000, out of which, minimum numbers are students, while majority were serving in the private sectors, companies and industries, who suffered in the event of the lockdown, he said.
He mentioned that the state government has been sincere assisting the stranded people of the Nagaland financially to address their grievances and is engaged in bringing back the returnees.
The government has spent huge amount of money in transportation, quarantine centres and in providing essential provisions for returnees, he added.
The minister further encouraged the frontline workers to carry out their given duties with zeal and also spread awareness to the inmates at quarantine centres.
Sangtam donated INR 20,000 for emergency use and automated hands free sanitisers to the PHC authority. He also assured that the government is ready to help in every way possible.
Extra Assistant Commissioner Chenithung said that the district task force and civil societies are fully prepared to accommodate the returnees in Kiphire town and on exhaustion of allotted places, the returnees will be sent to facilities prepared in various locations in the district.
Additional SP Erie Kajire informed that all the departments are engaged in performing Covid-19 duties. Quarantine centres in Kiphire town are getting exhausted, therefore, more are about to set up in GHSS, Mount Shepherd School, he said.
Taking into consideration the remoteness of the district and lack of facilities for institutional quarantine, Kiphire district task force and apex hohos have appealed to the state government to provide additional testing machines and kits to help manage the returnees in a timely manner.
The district task force held a meeting with representatives from all apex hohos of the district on Thursday at the Deputy Commissioner's Conference hall, in the presence of V Kashiho Sangtam, minister for Soil and Water Conservation and Geology and Mining, an update from DIPR informed.
During the meeting, the members decided that as and when the institutional quarantine capacity saturates at Kiphire headquarter, returnees will be accommodated in facilities arranged in the sub- divisions.
The house requested the minister to expedite the process of delivering TrueNat testing machines and cartridges.
Deliberating on the need for expanding quarantine facilities, the members identified USBLA retreat centre under Longmatra circle for setting up quarantine facility.
The minister took stock on requirements for additional funds to managed works related to Covid-19.
Keeping in mind the psychological wellbeing of the inmates, Sangtam suggested giving counselling to at the quarantine centres. To this, Deputy Commissioner Kiphire Sarita Yadav informed the house that counselling is being provided through telephonic means.