COVID-19: Help senior citizens; Rubal Agarwal appeals to NGOs

Pune: “There are many senior citizens who stay alone in Pune having no one to care for them as most of the time their children stay abroad. I appeal to organisations like FLO to reach out to these elderly and provide whatever help they manage to do during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rubal Agarwal, Additional Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

IAS Rubal Agarwal is a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) is been awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award in 2016-17 for controlling riots in Jalgaon district during her tenure as a District Collector between 2014 and 2017.  She is also heading the charge of PMC as Additional Commissioner.

Agarwal was speaking during an online interaction recently organized by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Pune Chapter Chairperson Dr Aneeta Sanas along with and Sangeeta Lalwani, Past Chairperson of FLO Pune Chapter and Member of National Governing Body of FLO.

“We need help in this matter and along with the NGOs, we’ll be able to provide support to our seniors,” she added. 

While speaking on women empowerment, Agarwal who has won the Best Collector Award for her campaign- Beti Padhao Beti Bacho in 2016-17 in Jalgaon, she recalls, “I come from a small village in Rajasthan where women were not allowed to study but with the support of my sister-in-law and mother, I was able to complete my studies and became Indian Administration Service (IAS) officer and served as a Collector in various districts of Maharashtra. My parents in the village are inspired by me and are now sending their daughters out to study. It is an achievement as I have proved to the society that women are not lagging behind and they too can achieve whatever they want.”

While speaking on the recent COVID epidemic and the steps taken by the municipal authority to control the virus, she said, “The Pune municipal corporation has taken necessary steps to stop the spread of the infection and have set up additional 80,000 beds at the COVID care centres. As per our analysis 80 per cent of the patients are Asymptomatic but we want people to take the utmost care by following rules and not move out of their homes unnecessarily. We are also taking actions against the hospitals, which are charging exorbitant fees to the patients. Fortunately, the death rate in Pune is not very high but still, we’ll have to improve, use our resources and create a platform to spread awareness among citizens."