Nobel winner in CM's COVID-19 policy team
Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government set up the Global Advisory Board for COVID Response Policy in Bengal with Nobel laureate Dr Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee as a key member to tide over the economic slowdown that has appeared due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Bengal is the first state in the country to initiate up such a step that will assist Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in taking appropriate policy decisions by chalking out a future plan of action to ensure the revival of the economy, tackling COVID-19, ensuring the betterment of society, assistance to downtrodden, better health infrastructure and many other aspects.
Banerjee said: "Nobel laureate Dr Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, former regional director of WHO Dr Swarup Sarkar will be in the board. Few more people with sound knowledge on the present global scenario will also be included and their names will be announced later. Dr Abhijit Chowdhury and Dr Sukumar Mukherjee will be coordinating with them."
The Chief Minister also confirmed that she has already spoken to Banerjee and he has agreed to be part of the advisory board.
She added: "People are passing through a difficult time. All businesses have come to a standstill and there is no revenue generation at all. We don't know how long we have to stay like this. We have to plan for the future. Bengal is the first state to take such a step."
She also expressed her displeasure as the Centre has sent 3,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and only 10,000 N95 masks when the state had demanded 5 lakh masks. The state government had ordered 11 lakh PPEs and 7.92 lakh N95 masks of which a large number has already been received and distributed. She directed Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha to order more without relying on anyone as the state is capable of fighting the disease of its own through donations of its own people. She also expressed her discontent as the colour of the PPEs sent by the centre is yellow. Ironically, she stated: "I don't know whether it has any connection with COVID-19. The matter has to be looked into."
This comes when total COVID-19 positive cases in Bengal is 61 and 99 per cent of the cases are due to international connections. "But there is nothing to worry as 55 of them are from families of the seven who had tested positive initially and they are from only seven particular locations in the state including Kalimpong, Tehatta, Egra, Howrah, Haldia and Kolkata," she said adding that the deaths due to the disease in the state are three.
She also shared that 13 patients have been released from Beliaghata ID Hospital and 12 out of the 17 more who are admitted, are in good health. Banerjee said at present 54,823 people are in home quarantine and are being regularly monitored while 3,749 have been released from home quarantine. There are a total of 6,889 people currently in 511 state-run quarantine centres while 4,010 people have been released from government quarantine and 2,879 are still staying at the establishments. Additional 4,706 beds have been added in COVID-19 hospitals and so far a total of 1,301 samples have been tested.
She further said the state is yet to consider the Centre's proposal of opening the tea gardens considering the possibility of the spread of COVID-19. She also maintained that there is no shortage of essential goods, fishes and eggs in the state. Stating that it is the decision of the expert committee of doctors to set up a panel to ascertain the "cause of death of a person", she added: "Why don't you trust doctors instead of trusting political leaders."