Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan listed a slew of measures on Wednesday for non-resident Keralites (NRKs) including five COVID-19 help desks in every country with a large population of Malayalis and online medical consultations. The announcement comes a day after the Chief Minister brushed off the Opposition's criticism of his talks with NRKs about the COVID-19 situation.
“The problems are getting worse with more reports coming in from America and other counties of Malayalis dying of the disease. The NRKs call home not knowing what to do,” the Chief Minister said, introducing the new arrangements.
The help desks would work in association with various organisations of the NORKA (Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs) as well as Indian ambassadors abroad.
Malayalis facing health problems could have audio and video conversations with doctors in Kerala. This service would be available from 2 pm to 6 pm Indian time, when doctors from different specialties would take on long-distance consultations. Health doubts can be cleared through the NORKA website, the Chief Minister said.
In Kerala, there have been nine more cases of COVID-19, taking the total number in the state to 345. However, 84 of these cases have tested negative and 259 patients are under treatment now.
Over 1.4 lakh people are under observation across the state, with 749 of them in hospitals and others in home quarantine. Testing has increased in the state with the arrival of additional testing kits – 20,000 kits are expected from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday, CM Pinarayi said. There have been 11,986 tests so far, of which 10,906 were negative.
Border problem less worrisome
The border problem seems to be less worrisome with 1,940 goods lorries coming to the state on Wednesday, Pinarayi said. The Kasargod-Karnataka border issue is being dealt with as doctors in Kerala give certificates to patients without COVID-19 to go to the Mangalore hospital in Karnataka. But only urgent cases should be taken through the border, the CM urged.
Along with the NRK problems, the CM also addressed issues of students studying abroad. Those who are abroad for more than six months should get registered with NORKA and be eligible for insurance and flight ticket charges.
Pallithode attack
The Chief Minister raised the issue of a woman student in Pallithode, under observation for COVID-19, whose house was attacked. “There was a campaign against her and her family on social media. Her father even got a death threat. On Tuesday, she gave a complaint, asking for protection of life. Such attacks shall not be tolerated. Whoever is behind it should be caught and punished severely, the police have been instructed. The public should also strongly rise against such attacks,” Pinarayi said.
The Chief Minister addressed the issues faced by various sectors— those not getting salaries in old age homes, extending deadlines for media pension schemes and building permits, opening optical stores once a week during the lockdown, helping farmers with manure and tools for harvest time, distributing arrears to research scholars, etc.
For artistes, cashew nut workers, coconut climbers, textile shop employees and others— the respective welfare boards would pay a monthly remittance of Rs 1000 each. Other sectors, without welfare boards, shall also be given this amount, the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, as confiscating vehicles violating lockdown proves difficult, the Chief Minister announced fines instead. He warned against people discarding used masks and gloves in public places, since they may still contain traces of the virus and this can cause a health hazard.
“We will accept every way to fight COVID. In this regard, we have decided to use Ayurveda also for the prevention and treatment of the disease. People will be divided into seven categories and a suitable approach will be adopted for each,” the Chief Minister added.