Trinamool, BJP talk health on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary

On Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, on Wednesday, the two leading political parties in West Bengal — the Trinamool and the BJP — have channelised their political strength to meeting people’s health needs.

The state reported 22,155 new infections on Wednesday, of which 7,060 are from Kolkata.

Trinamool MP and party’s national general secretary’s Abhishek Banerjee had said 30,000 Covid tests would be carried out in his constituency in a day. By evening, over 53,000 tests were completed, it was claimed.

“Delighted to share that we have been able to pay appropriate tributes to Swami Vivekananda by conducting more than 50 thousand Covid 19 tests in Diamond Harbour PC, in a single day,” Banerjee tweeted.

Banerjee also claimed that in seven days the positivity rate is the lowest among Bengal’s Lok Sabha constituencies.

He further promised that efforts will continue to bring down the positivity rate further.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to make Diamond Harbour PC Covid free,” he added. Yuva Morcha, the Bengal BJP’s youth wing, launched ‘Vivek Bahini’.

The Morcha president, Indranil Khan, talking to DH, claimed that over 100 doctors and 20,000 volunteers will take forward the party’s health initiative. Officially launched on Wednesday, a state-level health line number will be operational from Thursday. Khan said people from all over Bengal will be able to call and consult physicians. The volunteers, who have undergone training, will be able to reach out to families in need. People who aren’t infected by Covid will also be able to consult for other medical
needs.

While the upcoming civic polls and the holding of Gangasagar Mela have been points of contention and argument among political parties, the situation on the ground is disheartening. Infections have affected officials in the administration, police force, doctors and health workers, and people from other walks of life.

Despite campaigns on enforcing covid norms, and repeated requests made by officials on wearing masks, a substantial section of people on the streets appear to be casual, or ignorant.

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