Team News Riveting
Raipur, May 20
A District Collector in Chhattisgarh reportedly came unprepared to attend the crucial virtual meeting with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to gage COVID-19 situation at grassroot level.
The Prime Minister today interacted with the state and district officials on the COVID-19 situation through video conference. The worst COVID-19 districts were identified for the meet. During the interaction, the officials thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership in the battle against Covid-19.
The officials briefed the Prime Minister about the improving COVID situation in their respective districts. They shared their experience of using technology for real-time monitoring and capacity building. They also informed about the steps taken to enhance public participation and awareness in their districts.
But a District Collector in Chhattisgarh was caught in a catch-22 situation when the Prime Minister quizzed about the villages. When asked about the number of villages, the reply was in a round figure and that too reportedly amiss.
The district that came into being in May 1998 had 30 per cent less villages than the number informed by the Collector to the Prime Minister.
Moreover, the Collector told the Prime Minister that he was not carrying the details when sought how many villages in the district were unaffected by the contagious virus. Ironically, the officer did not take the pain to ask the other officials present in the room for spot-on statistics.
