Gujarat: Vijay Rath to join coronavirus fight

GANDHINAGAR: Chief minister Vijay Rupani e-flagged off ‘Vijay Rath’ from Gandhinagar on Monday to create public awareness about the dangers of Covid-19. However, fears are being expressed that the project might instead contribute to further spread of the pandemic in rural areas, as people will gather to view street plays and audio visual presentations on the dangers of the pandemic.
The rath, which will be accompanied by about 350 artists – mainly from Ahmedabad and Surat – will first cover five districts of Junagadh, Kutch, Banaskantha, Surat and Ahmedabad. Later, it will cover around 90 talukas in all the remaining districts over the next 44 days. The artists will perform street plays and use other performing arts to educate people on how to fight the pandemic.
The CM said the entire nation is taking steps to control spread of the pandemic. He exuded confidence that the ‘Vijay Raths’, after the success of Dhanvantari Rath, Sanjivani Rath and 104 helpline, will further intensify the fight against the virus.
Rupani said that the efforts to control the pandemic have already yielded 82% recovery rate with the people’s cooperation. Gujarat’s fatality rate has come down from 7% to 2.9%, he said, adding that the state’s positive cases stands at 3.5 to 4% as against the national average of 8 to 9%.