Arshad Farooq
Baramulla, Feb 28: A covid-19 sensitization workshop was organized by Piramal Swasthya, a branch of Piramal Foundation working on health care and nutrition, on Monday with the Sikh Faith and Community leaders of Baramulla at Guru Nanak Dev School. The workshop was attended by officials of the district administration and prominent Sikh faith and community leaders and volunteers.
Speaking on the occasion, District Health Officer Baramulla, Dr. Bajan Kaur apprised the faith and community leaders about their role in the fight against Covid-19, including their support in the vaccination campaign. Providing details about the teenage Covid-19 vaccination in Baramulla, Dr. Kaur mentioned that “Baramulla has achieved the first dose target in the age group of 15-17 and with the opening of schools the second dose target will also be achieved soon.” She highlighted the challenges the district administration encountered at first in administering the vaccine. “But the spirit of the people to fight against the covid-19 and their cooperation helped the Health department achieve the targets in record time.”
Speaking on the occasion, Divisional Program Manager Piramal Swasthya, Mr. Narender Lal Joshi provided a detailed background to and objective of roping in faith and community leaders with the program. “People like you enjoy great moral legitimacy in the community and they listen to you. The need was felt to engage you in the program and achieve the set targets of health care and nutrition in Baramulla,” he said.
The workshop was part of Aspirational Districts Collaborative (ADC) program launched by Government of India in 2018 in 112 districts across India. In J&K, this program is run in two aspirational districts – Baramulla and Kupwara. In order to effectively implement the program, NITI Aayog has partnered with the Piramal Foundation.
While welcoming the Piramal Swasthya’s team, President of Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee assured all support in taking the message of covid-19 vaccination to the lager community through various faith-based programs organized by the committee. At the end of the program, Piramal Swasthya felicitated volunteers of the committee for their selfless work during the pandemic.
