Coronavirus | 21 members of vulnerable tribes infected in Odisha
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Activists warn of rapid spread among isolated communities
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Activists warn of rapid spread among isolated communities
With the second wave of COVID-19 sweeping across rural heartland of Odisha, infections are being reported among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
As many as 21 tribals across eight different PVTGs in the State have so far tested positive, including two from the Bonda tribe, known for its secluded lifestyle. Bondas live in highlands, 3,500-feet above sea level, in Malkangiri, the southern-most district of Odisha.
“Three days ago, Malakangiri district administration conducted a mass testing drive at Mudulipada a Bonda village. Two of them tested positive. Since they live in close proximity, we have isolated the two infected persons,” said P. Arthanari, Project director of Odisha PVTG Empowerment and Livelihood Improvement.
A Covid awareness campaign among Dongria Kondhs
KORAPUT: Untouched by Covid during the first wave, as many as four members of the particularly vulnerable tribal group Dongria Kondh living in the Niyamgiri hills of Rayagada district tested positive on Thursday. This despite members of the community remaining largely confined to their village under Parsali panchayat in Kalyansinghpur block.
“Occasionally, they visit the markets in the urban areas. There is a high chance of them being infected there. However, precautionary measures are being taken to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread in the villages in which the community resides,” district collector (Rayagada) Saroj Kumar Mishra said. He added that a weekly door-to-door health survey is being conducted by the field staff in their villages and treatment is being provided, if necessary.
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langot, a little boy scurries across the baked red earth, his eyes and mind fixed firmly on the path ahead. Then the camera zooms out to give us an ominous view: “In the distance, silhouetted by the now bright sun, stand some large, menacing, sharp-edged machines.” It’s in these visual descriptions, with the feel of a screenplay, almost, that Devashish Makhija’s
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