Corona “Positivity Times” Vol-30

“Corona” means Time to demonstrate

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• Caring Elders

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• Optimism

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• Renewal of self

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• Obedience to calls from Government

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• Nurturing new Habits

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• Adaptability

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With the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in India, the health infrastructure of the country faces an imminent challenge, and one of the most crucial accessories for frontline health workers to combat the crisis safely is a PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kit.

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But there are multiple issues here—the country is reeling under a severe shortage of these safety kits. Also, fraudulent products from shoddy manufacturers are flooding the market, and the ones which are deemed to be potent are exorbitantly expensive.

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As administrations are frantically looking for affordable yet efficient solutions, a small district in interior Uttar Pradesh has stepped up to the occasion. Under the guidance of IAS officer Arvind Singh, rural women in Lakhimpur Kheri have delivered global standard PPE kits in bulk, which has earned accolades from all over.

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In fact, the Indian Army in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have commissioned these PPE kits in bulk for supplying to their designated COVID-19 hospitals.

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So how did the quality of a product designed by underprivileged village women achieve a benchmark that even seasoned manufacturers failed to reach? Arvind Singh, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) of Lakhimpur Kheri, shares the secret with The Better India. Stepping up at the nick of time “Ours is not a very infrastructurally advanced district with multi-speciality healthcare facilities. So, as the COVID-19 situation intensified, teams of healthcare professionals were urgently deployed at all of our health centres,” informs Singh.nEach team had 25 members—including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ambulance drivers and janitors—and worked in two shifts during the day, where they were continually coming in direct contact with Coronavirus patients. Along with them, the food suppliers to the patients as well as police personnel in charge of the hospital security and quarantine centres also needed protection.

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“I sensed that all our frontline workers needed PPE kits immediately. There was a surge in demand for the same, but due to the countrywide lockdown, procuring them became a hassle. Fortunately, we had already engaged our self-help groups in indigenously manufacturing the same, days before the lockdown was announced on 25th March.”nSitting down with his team, Singh started cold calling suppliers to procure raw materials as soon as possible.

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His team laid unmitigated focus on quality, design, process and, of course, capacity-building of the women involved in the initiative which was named Operation Kabach.nOnce the raw materials were secured, the women were meticulously trained in designing the kits, comprising polypropylene coveralls, goggles, face shields, headgears, masks, gloves and shoe covers.nSingh himself regularly dropped in at the centres and carefully examined the design. The product was finalised after nearly twenty iterations, and the hard work paid off as the Health Department was deeply impressed with their design.

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Supporting frontline health workers, army officials and the policenAs of now, the Northern Commands Army Base hospital in Lucknow has ordered 2000 PPE kits from Operation Kabach. Brigadier N Ramakrishnan was highly content with the Singh’s design and immediately sanctioned the bulk order.

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The Lucknow Cantonment of 41st Infantry Brigade has ordered 52 kits, and the Kumaon Indore division has ordered 20 kits while the Sashastra Seema Bal ordered 30 PPE kits. A major portion of these orders has already been delivered.

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Each kit costs Rs 490, which is less than half of what the Army and health department was paying to private enterprises for subpar materials. The payment for the orders are made directly to the SHG bank accounts and are thereby empowering the women.

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“Presently, we have the strength of around 175 women across 28 SHGs in 6 blocks of the district, namely, Lakhimpur Kheri, Isanagar, Nighasan, Palia, Gola and Mohammadi. We strictly follow all the standard sanitary protocols and social distancing norms at all these centres, which are disinfected twice daily. The Block Development Officers (BDOs) supervise the entire operation, but still, I make sure to visit each centre every day,” shares Arvind Singh.

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The 2015-batch IAS officer is an IIT-IIM graduate who secured AIR 10 in the UPSC examination. He has had prior work experience as a technical researcher in South Korea and Hongkong and admits that his awareness of the Coronavirus situation in those countries helped him become more aware of the upcoming threat in India, way before the panic spread among the masses.

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Perhaps that is why Operation Kabach has attained such unprecedented success, helping out our frontline workers in the best possible way.

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Advice :

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1. Test Trace and Treat

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2. Observe Hygiene and Continue Handwashing

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3. Be in Home

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4. Wear the mask, if going out

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5. Maintain social distancing

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6. Download “Arogya Setu App”

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nnSelf- Betterment – “ 7 Habits”nnObjective: It is a transformational therapy which will form our behaviour in the short term and manifest as a national character in the long term. It consists of 7 habits that are required to be developed for stronger Self and sustainable environment.nn“Be the Change you want to see” – Mahatma Gandhi.nWe have developed 7 habits for Self-development, which are as under:nFor Self:n

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1. Self-belief and dare to dream

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2. Focus on your Goal

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3. Be intrinsically motivated

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4. Understand the value of time

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5. Persevere in the face of adversities

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6. Foster Positive Approach in all aspects of life

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7. Never stop learning

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SEVEN HABITS FOR SELF

nHabit 5: Self – Persevere in the face of adversitiesnAsk any successful person how he has achieved so much in life. His most likely answer would be that he has succeeded in life as he has failed more in life than he has triumphed. It doesn’t matter how many times one has lost the games but what is important is how big he had won when it was his chance. One doesn’t have to be right every time but just right when it matters the most. “Prayas Ek Aur Kadam” (PEAK) is the mantra. Whenever you feel like you don’t have energy left to persist, just try. Most of the people take part in the marathon but only a few complete, let alone win the race. Similar is the case with the dreams. Most of the people dream, but only those who persevere despite odds are the ones who deserve to win. Perseverance can make you scale the toughest peaks of your life.n

Big Message: The world remembers those who have the habit of never say die. Strategize, Achieve and if not à Then Re-strategize & Achieve.nn

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nnToday’s Quoten

I took a test in Existentialism. I left all the answers blank and got 100.- woody allen

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nnGratitude: nnWe, on behalf of all, pay our Gratitude to all Corona Warriors.nn

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We Shall Overcome One day: Hum Honge Kamyab Ek Din.

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An Effort of “Plus Approach Foundation” 

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Join The Foundation as Positive Ambassador

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